The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Pune police on Wednesday arrested Sheetal Tejwani for her alleged role in the controversial Mundhwa land deal, owned by the state government. According to the allegations, the 40 acres of land — valued at around ₹1,800 crore — were acquired by the firm despite the property being Mahar Watan land, which cannot legally be sold. This is the first arrest in the case.
Tejwani, accused of acting as the power of attorney for the original 272 Watandar landholders before facilitating the sale of the plot to Amadea Enterprises LLP — a firm in which deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, holds a 99% stake — was taken into custody and brought to the Pune police commissionerate under heavy security by evening.
The preliminary probe found that Tejwani had persuaded multiple Mahar Watan landholders to give her power of attorney, reportedly paying each of the 275 individuals only a token amount. Investigators noted that the land has been leased to the Botanical Garden for nearly nine decades and the Mahar Watan holders are not its legal owners. Despite this, Tejwani allegedly moved court asserting rights over the property.
Despite attempts, Tejwani refused to react to her arrest when she stepped out of the vehicle in police presence.
{{/usCountry}}Despite attempts, Tejwani refused to react to her arrest when she stepped out of the vehicle in police presence.
{{/usCountry}}Tejwani had been considered to be avoiding questioning for days before she was present for questioning on November 18. She is named in two FIRs - one lodged at Bavdhan police station and another at Khadak police station - along with Parth Pawar’s cousin and business associate, Digvijay Patil, and several government officials, for allegedly cheating and enabling illegal transfer of approximately 40-42 acres in Survey No 88 in Mundhwa.
Her arrest follows an FIR lodged at Khadak police station, where she is accused of misappropriation, cheating, criminal breach of trust, among other things.
The land in question belongs to the government, with the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) being the lessee.
Confirming the arrest, deputy commissioner of police (EOW & Cyber Crime) Vivek Masal said, “Sheetal Tejwani has been arrested in connection with the illegal transaction of land belonging to the Maharashtra government in Survey No 88, measuring 42 acres. The grounds of arrest have been explained to her. She had earlier been summoned several times and was arrested today based on the evidence gathered.”
The case has gained political traction after questions were raised about why Parth Pawar’s name does not appear in FIR despite his near-complete ownership of Amadea Enterprises LLP, the entity that purchased the land.
Ajit Pawar has publicly stated that Parth told him he was cancelling the deal following the allegations, a move that did little to quell the scrutiny over the omission.
So far, police have booked only those who executed or registered the transaction - Patil, suspended sub-registrar Ravindra Taru, tehsildar Suryakant Yeole, and power-of-attorney holder Tejwani. The IGR office’s complaint names only those who signed the documents — Patil and Tejwani — even though official records list Parth Pawar as the 99% owner of the purchasing firm.
Investigators say Tejwani is no stranger to financial crime probes. She and her husband, Sagar Suryavanshi, were named in several FIRs between 2018 and 2020 in the multi-crore Seva Vikas Cooperative Bank fraud case, following which properties linked to the couple were attached. Tejwani also served as director of Paramount Dreambuild Pvt Ltd, a struck-off entity alleged to have been involved in the same scam.
RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar has additionally accused Tejwani of involvement in irregularities in the Baner Endowment land scam related to the Udan Shah Wali shrine, valued at around ₹1,000 crore, further intensifying scrutiny of her financial dealings.
Police officers said they are examining the full chain of transactions, including the roles of intermediaries, government officers and the final beneficiaries, and indicated that more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.