MAPUSA
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at multiple premises linked to former Mapusa municipal councillor and businessman Tarak Mangesh Arolkar, days after his arrest by the Crime Branch in an alleged Rs 40 lakh property fraud case involving forged documents.
The searches began in the early hours of Tuesday and were carried out at around four to five locations, including Arolkar’s office at Shetyewada, Peddem, and a flat located in the same premises.
ED officials remained tight-lipped about the operation and declined to provide details. However, sources said that documents and other material were seized during the searches.
The ED action is understood to be part of a probe into Arolkar’s financial and property-related dealings. The agency’s searches could provide investigators with further leads into suspected transactions and dealings allegedly linked to the businessman.
Arolkar was arrested by the Crime Branch on August 19 following a complaint lodged by businessman Pankaj Bajaj. According to the Crime Branch, Bajaj alleged that Arolkar had represented himself as the owner and sole authorised person to transact a property bearing Survey No. 37/4 at Assagao, Bardez.
Arolkar allegedly assured the complainant that the property had a clear and marketable title and induced him to pay Rs 40 lakh towards the execution of a sale deed. The Crime Branch registered a case under Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using a forged document as genuine) of the IPC.
