‘Multidimensional & vast’: Will probe submissions by activists, say police

“Anti-corruption activists Vijay Kumbhar and Anjali Damania have on December 22 and 23 made various submissions with regards to the ongoing probe through the media. They also made these submissions to the Bavdhan police station. Their allegations suggest that the probe is multidimensional and vast. We will investigate all these allegations. We have also informed this to the court when we sought extension of Tejwani’s custody,” said an officer from Pimpri Chinchwad police.

In a press conference held on Monday, Kumbhar and Damania presented a set of documents and communications based on which they claimed that Parth Pawar was directly involved in the Mundhwa land dead since May 2021. They demanded that Parth be named in the FIR.

Pimpri Chinchwad police have also told the court that they were investigating the transactions and exchange of documents between Tejwani and a person who worked as her office boy. Police told the court this ‘office boy’ had signed the application, affidavit and authorization letter filed by Amadea Enterprises LLP for the adjudication before the competent authority.

Following the complaint filed by the office of Inspector General of Registration (IGR), an FIR was filed at Bavdhan police station on November 6. The FIR under provisions of cheating and criminal breach of trust was filed against Digvijay Patil who is Parth Pawar’s partner in the firm, Tejwani and Ravindra Taru, the now-suspended sub-registrar who registered the deal.

The Mundhwa land deal has been embroiled in a controversy as the land that fell under the category of Mahar Watan land and was leased to the Botanical Survey of India, was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP without the mandatory approval of the state government, at significantly lower price than the market value and with a stamp duty waiver.

Tejwani was first arrested by Pune City police on December 3 and after two custody remands, she was sent to judicial custody on December 15. Prior to that, the Pimpri Chinchwad police had submitted a production warrant for Tejwani seeking her police custody. On December 16, the Pimpri Chinchwad police secured Tejwani’s custody from Yerawada Central Prison. She was produced before a court and was remanded to police custody for eight days. On Tuesday she was again produced before the court and her police custody was extended by four more days. Meanwhile, Taru, who was arrested by Pimpri Chinchwad police on December 7, is currently in prison in judicial custody.