A sprawling land scam worth over ₹1,000 crore in Goa’s prime tourist zones has been unearthed by the Enforcement Directorate, implicating a former political candidate and several accomplices in a deep conspiracy involving fake documents, tampered land records, and laundering of illicit gains into luxury assets.
A High-Stakes Land Grab in Goa’s Tourist Heartland
In a significant operation spanning two days, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at multiple locations in Goa, uncovering a ₹1,000-crore land scam centered around prime real estate in tourist-favored areas like Anjuna, Arpora, and Asagao.
At the heart of the conspiracy is Rohan Harmalkar, a former Independent candidate from the 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly elections (Cumbharjua constituency), who, along with his network of associates, allegedly orchestrated the illegal transfer of high-value properties.
These properties, historically belonging to private individuals and family estates, were fraudulently appropriated without the consent or knowledge of the rightful owners.
The modus operandi included impersonation, forgery of land documents, and tampering with official revenue records, ED officials stated. The fraudulent transfers targeted vast swathes of lucrative land parcels, with the total area running into several lakh square meters.
Seized Documents and Luxury Assets Reveal the Scale of the Conspiracy
According to an official statement issued Friday evening (April 25, 2025), the ED seized original property documents worth over ₹600 crore during the raids, along with multiple forged title deeds and evidence of manipulation of land records.
The investigation revealed that once the land parcels were unlawfully transferred, the scam proceeds were laundered through a complex network of benami (proxy) entities. These illicit funds were further diverted into real estate projects, luxury vehicles, and other high-value assets designed to mask the origins of the money.
The scale and audacity of the scam are stunning, a senior ED official remarked, emphasizing that the current market valuation of the fraudulently transferred properties exceeds ₹1,000 crore.
The scam not only led to severe financial losses for the original landowners but also compromised the legal sanctity of several major properties across Goa’s tourism belt.
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Deeper Investigations Ahead: Focus on Political and Bureaucratic Links
As the ED deepens its probe, investigators are now pursuing the money trail to unearth the full extent of the conspiracy, including the identification of other beneficiaries and government officials who may have abetted the illegal transactions.
An official familiar with the case said that there are strong leads suggesting systematic collusion between private players and revenue department insiders, forged documents could not have been processed without at least passive cooperation from within the administrative machinery.
Further action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) is expected, with multiple summons and potential arrests on the horizon.