Assistant Police Inspector (API) Vaishali Murlidhar Totewar, who was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹28 lakh, is set to be suspended by Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. Kumar is also expected to revoke the earlier order relieving her from duty following her transfer.
Totewar, who was posted with the Economic Offences Wing in Pune, had recently been promoted and transferred to the Mumbai Railway Police as a Police Inspector. Although an order had been issued to relieve her from Pune Police, officials said the process was not fully completed as she had pending case handovers.
According to sources, instead of completing official formalities, Totewar allegedly demanded a bribe from a complainant in connection with a land dispute case she was investigating. She had earlier accepted ₹2 lakh and later demanded ₹30 lakh to take action against the accused and help the complainant recover land. After negotiations, the deal was settled at ₹28 lakh.
Following a complaint received on April 30, the Anti-Corruption Bureau verified the allegations. A trap was laid on May 2, during which Totewar instructed the complainant to hand over the money through her associate, Sambhaji Shivaji Chavan.
Chavan was caught red-handed while accepting ₹28 lakh near Hotel Conrad on Bund Garden Road. Subsequently, Totewar was taken into custody. Both accused were produced before the court on Sunday, which remanded them to police custody till May 6.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau also conducted a search at the Economic Offences Wing office in the Pune Police Commissionerate and seized files related to the case.
Officials revealed that since the relieving process was technically incomplete, the Commissioner will now cancel the relieving order and proceed with Totewar’s suspension.
