Puja Khedkar Family in Legal Trouble: Driver Held in Kidnapping Case

The Navi Mumbai police have arrested the driver of former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar's father in connection with the road rage incident in which the helper of a truck was abducted last week, a senior official said on Saturday.

The accused, Praful Salunkhe, was apprehended by a team from Navi Mumbai police on Friday from Sindhkhedraja in Dhule, Deputy Commissioner of Police Pankaj Dahane said.

He was produced before the court, which sent him in police custody till September 23, he said.

Puja Khedkar's father, Dilip Khedkar, her mother Manorama and one more person, who tried to destroy the evidence in the case, are still absconding, police said.

According to the police, the incident occurred on September 13 on the Mulund-Airoli Road in Navi Mumbai after a concrete mixer truck brushed against a Land Cruiser car, leading to an argument between the driver and helper of the vehicle and two occupants of the luxury car, who demanded money for damages.

Dilip Khedkar and his driver, Praful Salunkhe, allegedly bundled the truck's helper, Pralhad Kumar Chouhan, into the SUV and took him to the Khedkar bungalow in Pune, they said.

The police traced him to the bungalow and rescued him, even as Manorama Khedkar obstructed their entry.

Investigations have revealed that the accused persons confined Chouhan in a watchman's room, served him stale food and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not pay for the damages, Assistant Commissioner of Police Rahul Dhas said.

It has also come to light that Manorama Khedkar tried to tamper with the CCTV footage from their residence, which was evidence in the case, by giving an unidentified person access to her bedroom, where the DVR was kept, he said.

The Rabale police had registered a case under section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the accused, and have now added sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 127(7) (wrongful confinement for extortion) and 308(4) (extortion).

The Pune police have also registered a case against Manorama Khedkar, the mother of Puja Khedkar, for allegedly obstructing the police and issued a notice.

Puja Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting facts in her application for the 2022 UPSC civil services examination to avail herself of reservation benefits. She has refuted all the allegations against her.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has initiated a series of actions against Khedkar, including lodging a criminal case for attempting to take the civil services exam by faking her identity. Delhi Police had lodged an FIR against her for various offences.

After the controversy erupted over Puja Khedkar's appointment as a probationary IAS officer, a video surfaced last year in which her mother was seen threatening a farmer. Manorama Khedkar was subsequently arrested and later released on bail.