ED arrests 'mastermind' in multi-crore Goa land 'scam'

Panaji, Jun 4 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has arrested an alleged mastermind in a multi-crore land "scam" in Goa.

Rohan Harmalkar, who contested the 2022 Goa Assembly elections from Cumbharjua as an Independent, was taken into custody on Tuesday night under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the federal probe agency said.

A special PMLA court in Mapusa sent him to 14-day ED custody, it said.

The federal probe agency conducted searches in this case on April 24 and 25.

The agency claimed Harmalkar remained "absconding" during the searches and the post-search investigation.

The money laundering case stems from a Goa Police FIR which alleged that Harmalkar and others "defrauded" rightful property owners through impersonation, creation of fake documents and tampering with revenue records, etc.

These properties -- originally owned by individuals and family estates -- were unlawfully sold without their consent, causing significant financial and legal distress to the victims, the ED said.

"Harmalkar is one of the key conspirators of the Goa land scam, orchestrating the forgery and manipulation of sale deeds for multiple properties.

"He has also impersonated legitimate heirs, counterfeited government stamps and used these forged documents as genuine to unlawfully acquire properties," it said.

The ED said Harmalkar was a "key mastermind" in the case.

Documents of properties worth Rs 1,000 crore (current market value), "forged" title deeds indicating "manipulation" of land records and "fraudulent" transfers of high-value land parcels spanning several lakhs of square metres in prime tourist hotspots like Anjuna, Arpora and Asagoan in Bardez Taluka were seized during the raids, accirding to the agency.

It said original documents of immovable properties worth more than Rs 600 crore were seized during the raids.

The ED suspects that the "proceeds of crime" generated were further laundered through various individuals and benami entities, and finally invested into real estate, luxury vehicles and other high-value assets. PTI NES DIV DIV