Pune: Developer Sheetal Tejwani Held in Police Custody for Alleged Real Estate Fraud

Pune, 4th December 2025: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Pune Police has arrested developer Sheetal Tejwani in connection with the alleged misappropriation of 43 acres of government land in Mundhwa, which was sold for Rs 300 crore. After a marathon hearing on Thursday, a Pune court remanded her in police custody till December 11.

According to the investigation, Tejwani had signed a development agreement with the 272 heirs of the original landowners between 2006 and 2008. The deal reportedly fixed the development price at Rs 40 lakh per acre, to be paid after re-grant of land rights. The agreement also mentioned partial payments issued via cheque, police told the court.

Tejwani, 44, originally from Nariman Point, Mumbai and currently living in Koregaon Park, Pune, was detained on Wednesday evening and produced before the First Class Judicial Magistrate on Thursday.

The land in question has been leased by the Maharashtra state government to the Botanical Survey of India. A case has already been registered at Khadak police station against Amadea Enterprises LLP — in which Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son, Parth Pawar, holds 99% shareholding as a director. The EOW is probing the alleged criminal conspiracy and illegal transfer of government land to Amadea Enterprises LLP by Tejwani.

Investigators revealed that Tejwani allegedly sent a letter to the District Collector’s Revenue-Invoices Branch claiming to have deposited a demand draft of Rs 11,000 as possession charges for the land. However, the amount has not been deposited in the district treasury, EOW Assistant Police Inspector Dattatreya Waghmare informed the court.

Police stated that an outdated 7/12 land extract document was allegedly used to present the land as private property, despite official records showing it belonged to the state. Investigators stated that then-tehsildar Suryakant Yewale failed to notify higher officials of the land’s government status and instead issued a letter to hand over possession to Amadea Enterprises LLP.

Police alleged that the land was sold by creating powers of attorney with heirs while the property was still under the control of the government.

Authorities told the court they intend to probe: - Basis on which the Rs 11,000 DD was paid - Why the land price was not mentioned in the sale agreement - Whether any payments were made in cash or through alternate routes - Identity of others involved in the alleged conspiracy - The channels through which any money changed hands

Police also seek to recover the original power of attorney documents, development agreements, and digital devices used in the transactions.

Police said Tejwani has nine previous cases registered across Pimpri, Hinjawadi, Shivajinagar, and Bavdhan police stations, mostly related to property misuse and cheating. Investigators claimed she is a habitual offender in real estate fraud cases.

Court proceedings ran for over three hours, starting at 3 pm and continuing until nearly 6:30 pm. The court issued its decision around 8:15 pm. A heavy police deployment was stationed at the court premises during the proceedings.

Government prosecutor Amit Yadav argued for 14-day custody, citing the seriousness of the offence and the need to trace financial trails. The court granted police custody until December 11.

Tejwani’s advocate Ajay Bhise said she had cooperated with the investigation and appeared whenever summoned. He argued that her name did not appear in the FIR and that police action violated procedure. Advocate Arun Sonawane represented Mahar Watandar descendants.

District Attorney Pramod Bombatkar, appearing for the District Collector, stated that the accused never had legal possession of the land and questioned why the land — valued at over Rs 1,800 crore — was shown as worth only Rs 300 crore in documents.

The case has drawn significant attention due to the high-value government land, involvement of politically-connected companies, and alleged misuse of land records for illegal property transactions in one of Pune’s rapidly developing zones. The investigation is ongoing.