The Kara pur-Sarvan land agitation took a dramatic turn fol lowing the arrest of two key protest leaders, Pritesh Sal gaonkar and Siddhesh Tari, by the Mumbai Police in connection with an alleged Rs 41 lakh extortion case. The cross-border oper ation has ignited a massive political storm in Goa, with opposition parties accus ing the State government of bypassing transit arrest procedures and using ex ternal police machinery to crush democratic dissent. While investigators probe claims of a wider financial network funding the pro test, activists have vowed to intensify their movement against the mega-develop ment project. According to locals, Sal gaonkar and Tari had gone to attend an awareness meeting at Bicholim when they were allegedly picked up by the Maharashtra Po lice and taken to Dodamarg, where they were subse quently arrested and taken to Mumbai. The case was registered following a com plaint filed on August 27 at the M N Joshi Marg Police Station in Mumbai by Bhu shan Ramesh Patil, who is associated with the compa ny behind the project. According to the com plaint, the accused alleg edly threatened to disrupt work at the project site and demanded large sums of money.
The complaint alleges that towards the end of April 2026, the two men visited the project site and threatened to stop construction work. They allegedly subsequently demanded Rs 3 crore each. The complainant has also claimed that the company allegedly paid Rs 2 lakh each to ensure that work at the project continued smoothly. According to the complaint, between May 1 and August 27, Tari allegedly received Rs 34 lakh in installments, while Salgaonkar allegedly received Rs 7 lakh, taking the total amount to Rs 41 lakh. The complainant alleged that ad ditional payments were demanded and that recordings of WhatsApp conversations relating to the alleged demands are available. Details emerging in connection with the investigation indicate that the Mumbai Police are also examining claims that some persons participating in the Karapur-Sarvan ag itation were allegedly being paid daily amounts to remain at the protest site. The allegations are yet to be established. The investiga tion is expected to examine the alleged source of the funds, how the payments were coordinated, who allegedly re ceived them and whether there was any organised network behind the activity.
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The arrests, meanwhile, have triggered strong reactions from opposition parties and activists, who have questioned the manner in which the two were taken into custody and alleged that due legal procedure may not have been fol lowed. The family had received no official information about his whereabouts or arrest, said Santosh Salgaonkar, Pritesh Salgaonkar’s uncle. “We have no information about Pritesh since yester day. We came to know about his arrest by Mumbai police through media. Neither the Goa Police nor anyone else has officially informed us. We do not know what to do,” he said. Social activist Swapnesh Sherlekar also questioned the circumstances surrounding the arrests. “We have learned from the news that two youths from Karapur have been detained by the Maharashtra Police on charges of extortion. We are also getting to know that they are to be produced before a court in Mumbai. Pritesh Sal gaonkar’s family says they have no information,” he said. Sherlekar questioned whether the Goa Police were aware of the operation and sought a response from the State government. “The Mumbai Police come to Goa, allegedly pick up peo ple and take them to Mumbai without informing anyone. Is there a government and police system in the State? Is there no procedure to be followed? What is going on?
The Home Minister should tell the people whether the Goa Po lice knew about the incident or not,” he said. The protestors opposing the project, however, said the arrests would not weaken their agitation. “Our protest will continue and, in fact, it will be intensi fied,” a protestor said. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar alleged that some Karapur-Sarvan protestors were forcibly taken by the Mumbai Police and subsequent ly shown as arrested at Dodamarg in Maharashtra. “If this was done to circumvent the legal safeguards asso ciated with a transit arrest, the circumstances demand an immediate and transparent investigation,” Chodankar said. He sought answers from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane on whether the Goa Gov ernment and the Goa Police were aware of the operation and, if so, who had authorised or facilitated it. Chodankar said the agitation was nearing 150 days and questioned whether attempts were being made to intimi date protestors and discourage people from extending sol idarity to the movement. “The extortion allegations must be tested fairly before the law. But allegations cannot be used as a shortcut to brand protestors guilty or suppress democratic dissent,” he said. The Congress leader further alleged that any high-hand ed or unlawful action by law-enforcement authorities to serve the interests of powerful builders would be strongly opposed. AAP Goa president Valmiki Naik also questioned the cir cumstances surrounding the arrests, asking whether “Goa has merged with Maharashtra”. Naik alleged that the Mumbai Police picked up the Kara pur protestors without following due process, including allegedly failing to involve the Goa Police or produce the accused before a magistrate before taking them across the State border.
He accused Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of allowing the Mumbai Police to operate in Goa without adequate safeguards and alleged that the government was rattled by the “courage and perseverance” of the Karapur protestors. At the same time, Naik said the extortion allegations should be investigated strictly in accordance with the law, but maintained that AAP would oppose any attempt to in timidate the protestors or suppress their agitation. The Karapur-Sarvan agitation has been opposing the proposed development in the area and has emerged as a major land and environmental issue in Goa. The latest ar rests are likely to intensify the political debate surrounding both the agitation and the manner in which the criminal investigation is being pursued.
