Sheetal Tejwani: Central Figure in Mundhwa Mahar Watan Land Deal and Seva Bank Scam

Who Is Sheetal Tejwani? Prime Accused in Mundhwa Mahar Watan Land Deal and Seva Bank Scam

Sheetal Kishanchand Tejwani, a 40-year-old businesswoman from Shivajinagar, Pune, is currently in the limelight over a series of high-profile land deals and financial scams. She is one of the accused in the Mundhwa Mahar Watan Land Deal, which has brought multiple high-profile names, including Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, into the spotlight. In two cases registered with the police on Thursday and Friday, Tejwani is a common accused, along with Digvijay Amar Singh Patil, a partner in Amadea Enterprises LLP.

How Is Sheetal Tejwani Involved in the Mundhwa and Bopodi Land Cases?

In the Mundhwa land deal, Tejwani was the central figure as the Power of Attorney (PoA) holder for a 40-acre land parcel. The land, which belongs to the government, cannot be sold without permission, as stated in the Police FIR. She is accused of conspiring to execute the sale deed to Amadea Enterprises LLP without the necessary government clearances. Along with Digvijay Patil and Sub Registrar Ravindra Taaru, she was booked at the Bavdhan Police Station for illegally evading the mandatory stamp duty of approximately ₹6 crore, causing a significant financial loss to the state.

In the Bopodi land case, Tejwani is again named as an accused, along with her business associate Digvijay Patil and a suspended Tehsildar. This case involves the alleged fraudulent transfer of a 5.35-hectare (approximately 13 acres) government-owned land parcel belonging to the state agriculture department to private parties through an illegal official order. Tejwani is currently on the run following the registration of these cases.

Who Is Sheetal Tejwani?

Sheetal Kishanchand Tejwani is a Pune-based businesswoman who primarily deals in real estate and infrastructure. She was a director in a company named Paramount Infra Developers, which has its offices locked due to multiple irregularities. Multiple fraud and cheating allegations have been levelled against Tejwani over the years, the most famous being the Mundhwa Mahar Watan Land Deal and the Seva Bank Scam in Pimpri-Chinchwad.

She is married to Sagar Suryawanshi, who was also one of the main accused in the Seva Bank Scam in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Currently, the couple is on the run. The police have contacted the immigration department of India and are investigating whether they have left the country. As of now, she and her husband are untraceable.

What's the Seva Bank Scam?

The Seva Vikas Cooperative Bank Scam involves the alleged large-scale fraud and misappropriation of public funds, primarily by the bank's former chairman, Amar Mulchandani, and other beneficiaries. This led to the bank's collapse. An audit revealed a gross fraud of approximately ₹429 crore across 124 Non-Performing Asset (NPA) loan accounts. Mulchandani is accused of violating banking norms, running the bank like a proprietorship, and illegally sanctioning loans to favoured borrowers without checking creditworthiness or adequate collateral. This was often done in return for kickbacks. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) ultimately cancelled the bank's licence.

Sheetal Tejwani is an accused in this scam, alongside her husband, Sagar Suryawanshi. Suryawanshi was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly defrauding the bank to the tune of ₹60.67 crore in 10 NPA loan accounts. Tejwani and Suryawanshi are named in FIRs for their firms, such as M/s. Renuka Lawns and Paramount Dreambuild Private Limited, being recipients of these dubious loans. Court documents noted a money trail indicating that Sheetal Tejwani had withdrawn cash amounts and transferred money to other accused individuals. However, she was never arrested, as she obtained anticipatory bail from the court. Her husband, Sagar, also received bail in 2024, and since then, the couple has been evading the law.