Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Rohan Harmalkar, alleged to be one of the key masterminds behind the multi-crore Goa land scam, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. He was produced before a special PMLA court in Mapusa on Tuesday, which remanded him to ED custody till June 18.

The ED’s probe stems from a series of FIRs registered by the Goa Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860. Harmalkar and his associates are accused of orchestrating a sophisticated land scam involving impersonation, creation of fake documents, and tampering with revenue records to illegally acquire and sell high-value properties.

According to the ED Official statement Harmalkar allegedly impersonated legal heirs, forged sale deeds, and tampered with revenue records to facilitate the transfer of properties, many of which are located in prime areas such as Anjuna, Arpora, and Assagao in Bardez taluka. The properties, belonging to individuals and family estates, were reportedly sold without the owners’ consent,causing financial and legal harm to rightful owners.

The land scam came to light in 2022 after a series of complaints were filed with the Goa Police, highlighting fraudulent transfers of land parcels, many of them owned by non-resident Indians (NRIs) or deceased persons. In response, the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.

The SIT investigation revealed a network involving fake powers of attorney, forged sale deeds, fabricated signatures, and manipulated land records. Officials said the racket also involved touts, middlemen, and insiders from government departments.

Acting on the SIT’s findings, the ED registered a money laundering case and began tracing the financial transactions linked to the alleged scam. Investigation revealed that Harmalkar played a key role to launder proceeds of crime through shell companies and bogus agreements.

On April 24, the ED carried out searches at multiple locations linked to Harmalkar and his associates. The operation reportedly yielded incriminating documents, including manipulated land records and evidence of unauthorized transfers of land spanning several lakh square metres areas such as Anjuna, Arpora, and Assagao in Bardez Taluka.

Harmalkar was absconding during and after the searches but was apprehended on June 3.