DAYS AFTER five people, including the parents of sacked IAS probation officer Puja Khedkar, were found. unconscious in his bungalow at the National Housing Society In Aundh, in an alleged robbery attempt, their father Dilip Khedkar has claimed that it was an attempt to murder them. He also alleged “double standards” and “lack of seriousness” on the part of the Pune police in the investigation, which the police refuted.
Chatushrungi police themselves registered an FIR, based on Puja Khedkar’s statement. The alleged incident took place on the intervening night of January 10 and 11. Puja told the police that a newly hired maid and her accomplices tied her up and locked her in a room in her bungalow and that five others, including her mother, father, watchman, cook and driver, were sedated. Selected items were stolen from a closet. The police have named his aide (who hails from Nepal) and his six or seven accomplices in the FIR. During the investigation, police arrested the father of the main suspect and others are being sought.
Puja’s father held a press conference on Tuesday in Pune in which he said, “This was an attempt to assassinate us. The drugs that were used for the assassination attempt are drugs that are not easily found in medical stores. To look for the anti-drugs of these sedatives, we had to go to hospitals all over the city. We had to be treated in the ICU. You can go to Ruby Hall hospital and verify what I am saying.”
Referring to the previous investigations against the Khedkar family, Dilip said, “When small incidents happen on our part, the administration and the police give a lot of importance to it. A small dispute in a farm is investigated by the Crime Branch. Ten to twelve teams are formed for the search. And when we were fighting for our lives for five days, the police did not find out. Half an hour after the incident, we had given details like the name, address and passport of the perpetrators, but they still managed to flee and reach their house to 2,000 kilometers away. There is no progress in the case.”
“In the past, the police had scaled the door of our house to take information from us. But after this incident, no senior officer came to our house. After this incident, when we were fighting for our lives, police commissioner Amitesh Kumar canceled the license of our firearm. My daughter identified and shared details of the suspects who had used dangerous sharp weapons. And then instead of giving us police protection, they canceled our arms license. This is a double standard on the part of the police. This was neither a robbery nor a “dacoity”, but rather a “They try to kill us by giving us drugs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Puja wrote to the Pune city police and sought a thorough investigation into the case, alleging that it was an attempt to murder.
A senior police officer said, “There is no basis to say that the police are neglecting the investigation. It is the police that has registered a suo motu case. An arrest has been made and the main suspect and his accomplices are being hunted.”
Story continues below this ad.
In September last year, Dilip and his bodyguard were accused of kidnapping an aid truck driver. following a road rage incident in Navi Mumbai. Hours after Navi Bombay Police rescued the helper from the truck who was allegedly kidnapped and taken to Puja Khedkar’s residence. The Pune city police had booked his mother Manorama Khedkar for obstructing the investigation. She allegedly helped her husband and his bodyguard flee, prevented police from entering the home and unleashed an aggressive dog to prevent police from conducting a search, police previously said. Later, Dilip got anticipatory bail in the case.
In September 2024, the Union government sacked Puja from Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) canceled his selection. Khedkar was found guilty of cheating and mistaking Other Backward Classes (OBC) benefits and disability quota. After canceling his selection, the UPSC had banned him for life from taking the entrance exam. UPSC found that Khedkar had allegedly availed attempts beyond the permissible limit provided in the Examination Rules by allegedly forging his identity. After the controversy surrounding Puja, a video surfaced of Manorama allegedly threatening some farmers at gunpoint. The Pune Rural Police charged her with attempt to murder in connection with the June 2023 incident. She was later released on bail.