No trace of alleged ₹300-crore transfer; custody of Sheetal extended till Dec 15
Police said she failed to clarify whether the alleged amount was handled through banking channels or cash, prompting the court to extend her police custody by four more days, till December 15.
Pune: The Pune police on Thursday told the Judicial Magistrate (First Class) court that they have found no trace of the alleged ₹300-crore transaction linked to accused Sheetal Tejwani Suryavanshi, stating that she remained evasive during interrogation and allegedly misled investigators about her bank accounts. Police said she failed to clarify whether the alleged amount was handled through banking channels or cash, prompting the court to extend her police custody by four more days, till December 15.
Tejwani’s earlier custody ended on Thursday, after which she was produced before the JMFC Court. According to the remand application, police recovered two mobile numbers from her—one in her name and another registered to a woman identified as Trupati Muralidhar Thakur. Investigators told the court they suspect Tejwani used the second number to communicate with co-accused to mask her identity. They added that the alternate number may have been used for discussions on financial dealings, and that she may have routed money through the bank accounts of other individuals.
The remand note also flagged a crucial aspect of the alleged conspiracy: instead of registering the Mundhwa property at the nearby sub-registrar office with jurisdiction over the area, the accused opted for sub-registrar office 4 in Bavdhan—far from the location. Police said they are investigating why this office was chosen and are working to identify all those who may have facilitated the transaction.
Investigators told the court they need continued custodial interrogation to determine how Tejwani first came into contact with Amadea Enterprises LLP and who acted as the conduit between her and the firm.
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) arrested Tejwani on December 3 for her alleged role in the illegal sale of nearly 40 acres of land in Mundhwa—valued at about ₹1,800 crore and categorised as Mahar Watan land, which cannot legally be sold. She is the first arrest in the case.
Tejwani is accused of acting as power of attorney for 272 Watandar landholders and allegedly facilitating the sale of the state-owned land to Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm in which deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar holds a 99% stake. Following her arrest, she was brought to the Pune police commissionerate under heavy security.
Police have told the court that Tejwani made repeated attempts to take possession of the land despite the 7/12 extract being officially marked as “closed”. They said she allegedly relied on an outdated, closed 7/12 extract even though the official double-entry system for the land had been shut years earlier.
