ED raids ex-Goa poll candidate’s premises, seizes property documents worth over Rs 600 crore in land scam

PANAJI: The enforcement directorate (ED) on Friday conducted a search at the office and residences of Rohan Harmalkar, who had contested the 2022 assembly election as an independent candidate, in connection with alleged land scam in Goa and seized documents of immovable properties worth over Rs 600 crore.
The operation also uncovered incriminating property documents worth Rs 1,000 crore in prime tourist hotspots of North Goa.
“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 meters in places like Anjuna, Arpora, and Assagao in Bardez taluka,” said ED.
“Additionally, original documents of immovable properties worth more than Rs 600 crore were seized during the search action,” the directorate said.
The ED had earlier registered a case against Harmalkar, who had contested the poll from Cumbharjua constituency, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
Goa police had also registered an FIR against Harmalkar in connection with an alleged land grab case at Anjuna. The ED said the searches were conducted based on intelligence and subsequent financial investigation, which revealed that Harmalkar is a key mastermind.
He, 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, and tampering with revenue records. The ED said these properties, originally owned by individuals and family estates, were unlawfully sold without their consent, causing serious financial and legal distress to the victims.
The ED also said it was found during the search that the proceeds generated from the crime were laundered through various individuals and benami entities and finally invested in 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 govt officials, connected with the process of illegal property transactions.