PMLA Court Grants 14-Days ED Custody To Goa Land Scam Masterminds

The Prevention of Money Laundering Court had granted 14-days Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody to Goa Land Scam masterminds.

Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Panaji Zonal Office has arrested Rohan Harmalkar, one of the key masterminds behind the Goa Land Scam, on 03.06.2025 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of the ongoing probe in the land scam case involving Rohan Harmalkar and others. He was produced before the Special Court (PMLA), Mapusa on 04.06.2025 and the Court granted ED custody of the accused till 18.06.2025 (14 days).

ED initiated investigation on the basis of FIRs registered by the Goa Police against Rohan Harmalkar and others under various sections of the IPC,1860, for defrauding rightful property owners through fraudulent means, including impersonation, creation of fake documents, tampering with revenue records, etc. These properties—originally owned by individuals and family estates—were unlawfully sold without their consent, causing significant financial and legal distress to the victims.

ED investigation revealed that Rohan Harmalkar is one of the key conspirators of the Goa Land Scam, orchestrating the forgery and manipulation of sale deeds for multiple properties. He has also impersonated legitimate heirs, counterfeited government stamps, and used these forged documents as genuine to unlawfully acquire properties. 

Earlier, on 24.04.2025, search operations conducted by the ED discovered voluminous incriminating property documents indicating manipulation of land records and fraudulent transfers of high-value land parcels spanning several lakh square meters in prime tourist hotspots such as Anjuna, Arpora, and Assagao in Bardez Taluka, Goa.

During the searches and the post-search investigation, Rohan Harmalkar remained absconding. He was subsequently arrested on 03.06.2025.

Further investigation is under progress.

Read More: 200% Penalty for False Deduction Claims; Govt. Tightens ITR Norms to Curb Tax Evasion

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Mariya Paliwala

Mariya is the Senior Editor at Juris Hour. She has 5+ years of experience on covering tax litigation stories from the Supreme Court, High Courts and various tribunals including CESTAT, ITAT, NCLAT, NCLT, etc. Mariya graduated from MLSU Law College, Udaipur (Raj.) with B.A.LL.B. and also holds an LL.M. She started as a freelance tax reporter in the leading online legal news companies like LiveLaw & Taxscan.

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