More than a month after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) uncovered a massive ₹1,600 crore land scam in Goa, Rohan Harmalkar, alleged mastermind and leader of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)—was arrested Tuesday night for his key role in the scheme. Harmalkar, who ran as an independent candidate in the 2022 Goa Assembly elections before joining the MGP in 2024, is accused of orchestrating a complex network that illegally acquired and sold vast stretches of neglected land, primarily in prime areas of Bardez taluka such as Anjuna, Arpora, and Assagao.
The ED investigation revealed that Harmalkar and his associates manipulated land records, forged ownership documents, impersonated rightful heirs, and tampered with revenue files to fraudulently transfer property titles—often without the knowledge or consent of the legal owners. The scam involved high-value real estate transactions, with many properties sold to buyers from the National Capital Region (NCR), Haryana, and other northern states. The current market value of the implicated properties exceeds ₹1,000 crore.
The probe began following multiple FIRs filed by Goa Police, with extensive searches in April 2025 leading to the seizure of original property documents linked to assets worth over ₹600 crore. Further investigations uncovered that the proceeds from the scam were laundered through various individuals and benami entities, later invested in real estate, luxury vehicles, and other valuable assets. Harmalkar was produced before a PMLA court in Goa on Wednesday and placed in 14 days of ED custody for continued interrogation.
The Goa government had earlier set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a Commission of Inquiry to investigate land-grabbing cases, resulting in dozens of arrests, including several government officials. The ED’s investigation is ongoing to trace the money trail, identify other beneficiaries, and uncover the involvement of additional conspirators and officials in one of Goa’s largest land scams to date.