Suspended sub-registrar arrested in Mundhwa land case; second arrest in probe

DCP (Zone II) Vishal Gaikwad confirmed that Taru was taken into custody in a case registered at the Bavdhan police station

The Pimpri Chinchwad police on Sunday evening arrested suspended sub-registrar Ravindra Taru (58) for his alleged role in stamp duty evasion and fraudulent land registration linked to the Mundhwa land scam. His arrest follows that of Sheetal Tejwani, whose involvement has drawn public attention because of her connection to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar.

The complaint further states that the registration was processed despite key legal discrepancies. (HT)

DCP (Zone II) Vishal Gaikwad confirmed that Taru was taken into custody in a case registered at the Bavdhan police station.

According to investigators, “Taru had registered a sale deed between Sheetal Suryavanshi Tejwani and Digvijay Patil, a transaction now under scrutiny for alleged manipulation of valuation and an illegal waiver of stamp duty.”

“Further investigations are on,” DCP Gaikwad added.

The FIR, filed on November 6 by Santosh Hingane, joint deputy registrar (Class I) and stamp duty collector, alleges that Taru, Tejwani and Patil colluded to execute a sale deed on May 20, 2025, for nearly 40 acres of prime Mundhwa land valued at over ₹2,000 crore, while granting an illegal stamp duty concession that caused an estimated ₹6 crore loss to the state.

The complaint further states that the registration was processed despite key legal discrepancies. Investigators say Taru allegedly ignored mandatory scrutiny procedures for government-owned land and proceeded with the deed even though officials had earlier flagged compliance issues. The FIR notes the deed was registered in a manner “inconsistent with statutory requirements,” raising suspicion of deliberate wrongdoing.

Police said Taru was detained from his residence in Bhor late Sunday and brought to Pimpri Chinchwad for questioning. “Till date, the registration of the said plot was done under the authority exercised by Taru,” Gaikwad said.

Taru’s arrest follows the Pune Police’s recent custody of Sheetal Tejwani in a separate Mundhwa land-grab case involving the same 40-acre parcel, which was allegedly sold fraudulently despite the government closing its 7/12 extract. She remains in police custody.

A senior officer of the Pune Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) told HT that Tejwani continues to claim she holds all the original documents related to the transaction, but the police have not received them yet. The missing documents are considered crucial to the investigation and may determine whether additional public officials or private individuals are implicated.

Co-accused Digvijay Patil is a partner in Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar is the other partner. Police sources said they are examining the financial and administrative trail surrounding the LLP’s activities, but have not indicated any wrongdoing by Parth Pawar at this stage. Investigators, however, expect the scrutiny to widen as they study the sequence of transactions.

DCP Gaikwad said Pimpri-Chinchwad police have filed a transfer-warrant application to take Tejwani into their custody once her current police remand ends, allowing both the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad FIRs to be examined together for overlaps.

Senior officers said more arrests are likely as the Bavdhan FIR and the broader Mundhwa land scam investigations continue to converge.