ED attaches properties worth over 200 crore in Goa land grab case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 212.85 crore located across prime areas of Goa in connection with a major land-grabbing and forgery case.

The properties were attached on July 28 as part of an ongoing probe into a criminal syndicate allegedly led by Rohan Harmalkar, who, along with his accomplices, is accused of grabbing high-value land in North Goa using forged documents.

The ED launched its investigation based on two FIRs registered by the Goa Police against Harmalkar and others for alleged offences including cheating, forgery, impersonation, and the use of fake documents to illegally acquire land.

According to the agency, Harmalkar conspired with Alcantro D’Souza and others to run a well-planned operation targeting land parcels in areas such as Anjuna, Revora, Nadora, Camurlim, and Parra, all located in Bardez Taluka and Mapusa city.

The probe revealed that the group used forged genealogical records, fake sale deeds, counterfeit wills, and manipulated court proceedings to claim ownership of valuable properties. These actions, the ED said, helped generate significant “proceeds of crime” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Some of these proceeds were received directly by Harmalkar, D’Souza, and their associates, and were routed through the bank accounts of family members and aides to disguise the illicit origins of the funds.

So far, assets worth Rs 212.85 crore have been identified and provisionally attached. The ED said further attachments are likely as efforts continue to trace the full extent of the alleged money laundering.

Rohan Harmalkar was arrested on June 3, 2025, under Section 19 of the PMLA and remains in judicial custody.

The investigation is ongoing.

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