Team Herald
PANJIM: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches in Goa on April 24 and 25 in connection with a major land scam being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). As per an official statement, the scam — allegedly orchestrated by Rohan Harmalkar — involved large-scale fraudulent land transactions using forged documents and tampered land records.
“The searches uncovered incriminating property documents, the current market value of which exceeds Rs 1,000 crore, including 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 Assagao in
Bardez Taluka.
Additionally, original documents of immovable properties worth more than Rs 600 crore were seized during the search,” the statement said.
The searches were based on intelligence inputs and a subsequent financial investigation which, according to the ED, identified Rohan Harmalkar as “a key mastermind, who along with other associates resorted to a large-scale conspiracy to illegally appropriate land belonging to rightful owners through fraudulent means including impersonation, creation of fake documents, tampering with revenue records, etc.”
The ED further stated: “It was further unearthed during the search 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. Further investigation is ongoing to trace the money trail, identify other beneficiaries, and the roles of other persons including government officials connected with the process of illegal property transactions.”
In 2023, a Special Investigative Team (SIT) probing land grabbing cases had booked Rohan Harmalkar and 13 others for allegedly preparing forged documents, cheating, and grabbing land in Anjuna from the rightful owner. Last year, Harmalkar was also arrested in connection with a cheque bouncing case.