PANAJI
Over a month after unearthing Rs 1,600 crore land scam in Goa, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested Rohan Harmalkar, who is accused of illegally acquiring large tracts of unattended land particularly in Bardez taluka.
Harmalkar, who had contested and lost the 2022 Goa Assembly elections, allegedly had several buyers from the NCR and other northern states lined up for properties valued at over Rs 1,000 crore. The ED confirmed his arrest, though it remains unclear whether more arrests are expected in the case.
“He was arrested around 11:30 pm on Tuesday. We produced him before the Court today (Wednesday) and he has been remanded to 14 days of ED custody. We will interrogate him and more details will be shared subsequently,” the ED said.
The agency had conducted searches in April under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, revealing a widespread conspiracy wherein land grabs in prime real estate locations such as Anjuna, Arpora and Assagao in Bardez were fraudulently carried out.
Identifying Harmalkar as the mastermind, the ED alleged he orchestrated a network of impersonators and used forged documents to sell properties owned by private individuals and family estates without their knowledge or consent.
“Harmalkar, along with his associates, resorted to a large-scale conspiracy to illegally appropriate land belonging to rightful owners through fraudulent means including impersonation, creation of fake documents, and tampering with revenue records,” the agency had said adding that these properties were unlawfully sold, that led to serious financial and legal distress to the original owners.
During the investigation, the ED also seized original property documents linked to assets worth over Rs 600 crore. Sources said Harmalkar’s client base included persons and businesses from Delhi-NCR, Haryana and other parts of North India.
