In a fresh development in the Navi Mumbai road rage case, police on Monday claimed that former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationer Puja Khedkar’s father, Dilip, and his bodyguard, Praful Salunkhe, had abducted a 22-year-old truck driver in their SUV.

The driver, identified as Prahlad Kumar, was rescued from Khedkar’s house in Pune on Sunday, September 14, within hours of the incident, which occurred the previous evening, news agency PTI reported.

According to a Rabale Police officer, the episode unfolded on the Mulund-Airoli Road when Kumar’s concrete mixer truck brushed against a Land Cruiser, leading to an argument between him and two occupants of the four-wheeler.

The investigation revealed that Dilip and Salunkhe allegedly bundled Kumar into the SUV and took him to the bungalow of Khedkar’s mother, Manorama, PTI reported.

Based on a complaint lodged by the truck owner, Rabale Police registered a case under section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against two unidentified persons on Sunday.

Police tracked the SUV to Pune using technical analysis, reported PTI.

“When police personnel reached the bungalow of Khedkar on Sunday, her mother allegedly prevented them from entering, leading to a heated exchange,” an officer said, adding, “However, the team managed to enter the premises, rescued Kumar, and brought him back to Navi Mumbai.”

Pune Police have also registered a case against Manorama for allegedly obstructing the cops and issued her a notice.

Simultaneously, Navi Mumbai Police registered a case of kidnapping against the SUV occupants under relevant sections of the BNS.

“The names of Dilip Khedkar and Praful Salunkhe are being added to the FIR. Nobody has been arrested so far,” the officer added.

On Monday afternoon, a joint team from Pune and Navi Mumbai police visited Manorama’s bungalow to probe the case, but she was not present.

“Since no one was present to open the main gate of the bungalow, police personnel jumped over the iron gate and entered the premises. But Manorama Khedkar was not found inside,” a Pune Police officer said.

The team conducted a search, but barring the caretaker of the property, no one was present in the bungalow.

Khedkar has been accused of misrepresenting facts in her application for the 2022 Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination to avail herself of reservation benefits. She has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits in the exam. Khedkar has refuted all the allegations

UPSC has initiated a series of actions against her, including lodging a criminal case for attempting to take the civil services exam using a fake identity. Delhi Police had also lodged a first information report (FIR) against her for various offences.

After controversy erupted over Khedkar’s appointment as a probationary IAS officer, a video surfaced last year showing Manorama threatening a farmer. She was subsequently arrested and later released on bail.

(With PTI inputs)

Source