Bengaluru: A company, run by an acquaintance of a Congress functionary, was allegedly cheated of Rs 8.1 crore by a former Mapusa municipal councillorin Goa, in connection with a proposed land purchase to set up an educational institution.Based on a complaint filed at Sadashivanagar police station by Darshan, a representative of the company, a cheating case has been registered. As part of the probe, police recently arrested Tarak Mangesh Arolkar, 47, who was already lodged in a Goa jail in connection with another fraud case involving Rs 40 lakh. Sadashivanagar police secured his custody through a body warrant, questioned him in connection with the alleged Rs 8.1-crore fraud, and subsequently returned him to judicial custody in Goa.According to the complaint, the company was looking for land in Goa in 2023 to establish an educational institution. Through acquaintances, it identified a property in Dhargal village of Pernem taluk in north Goa and decided to purchase it.Arolkar allegedly claimed he owned the property, and negotiations were held with him for its sale. He agreed to sell the land and received just over Rs 8.1 crore from the company. However, although an agreement for sale was executed, the property was never registered in favour of the company. Arolkar allegedly later sold the same land to another person.He subsequently assured the company that the money would be returned and issued bank cheques. However, according to the complaint, he allegedly ensured that the cheques could not be successfully deposited.Police are also searching for another accused, identified as Yogesh.Goa police arrested Arolkar in Aug 2026 in the Rs 40-lakh fraud case, following which he was remanded in judicial custody. Directorate of Enforcement (ED) also took up a case against him and conducted raids on his properties that month. Arolkar is accused of similarly cheating a relative of a central minister and other businessmen.
