ED provisionally attaches property worth Rs 212 crore in land grab case

Panaji: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday provisionally attached immovable properties across various prime locations in Goa, having a total value of over Rs 212 crore, in connection with an alleged land grab case.

The ED said that the provisional attachment was in connection with an ongoing investigation into a sprawling conspiracy of alleged land grabbing and forgery perpetrated by a criminal syndicate led by Rohan Harmalkar and his accomplices. In June, the ED arrested Harmalkar in a case of alleged land grabbing, and recently, a PMLA court rejected his bail application. Harmalkar had contested the Goa assembly election in 2022 from Cumbharjua as an independent candidate.

In April, the ED searched Harmalkar’s office and residences in connection with the alleged land scam and seized documents pertaining to immovable properties worth over Rs 600 crore.

The operation also uncovered incriminating documents of properties — 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 places like Anjuna, Arpora, and Assagao.

On April 24, the ED registered a case against Harmalkar under the PMLA. Goa police also registered an FIR against him in connection with an alleged land grab case at Anjuna.

The ED conducted searches based on intelligence and subsequent financial investigation, which revealed that Harmalkar was a 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.

During the search, the ED found that 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. The ED stated that the investigation is ongoing to trace the money trail, identify other beneficiaries, and determine the roles of other persons — including govt officials — connected with illegal property transactions.