THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA
The Additional Sessions Court, Mapusa, has rejected the bail plea of former Mapusa councillor Tarak Arolkar in a Rs 40 lakh cheating case involving a disputed Assagao property, observing that the allegations prima facie went beyond a civil dispute.
In its order, Additional Sessions Judge Apurva Nagvenkar noted that crucial documents, including the allegedly forged sale deed, were yet to be recovered and that their disappearance or destruction remained a concern.
The Crime Branch case stems from a complaint by Delhi-based businessman Pankaj Bajaj, who allegedly paid Rs 40 lakh to Arolkar in November 2022 towards the purchase of a 2,250-sq-m property at Assagao.
The prosecution alleges that Arolkar represented himself as the owner or authorised person entitled to sell the land, although it belonged to the late Jose Marian D’Souza.
The sale deed was allegedly never executed and the money was not refunded.
The court took note of a receipt acknowledging the payment, WhatsApp exchanges concerning the property and an audio recording in which Arolkar allegedly referred to handing over documents after his release from jail.
The prosecution argued that the missing documents were crucial to the investigation and that Arolkar could interfere with evidence.
Opposing the plea, the defence argued that the dispute was essentially civil in nature, questioned the absence of the alleged forged documents and pointed out that Rs 40 lakh had been transferred to Arolkar’s account.
Rejecting the application, the court held that the circumstances, including the pending recovery of documents and the possibility of evidence being tampered with, did not warrant bail.
Arolkar is facing charges under Sections 420, 406, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC.
