In a shocking incident, the Pune City Police have registered a case of dacoity against seven individuals, including a domestic help, at the residence of former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar. The crime, which involved restraining Khedkar and drugging her parents and household staff, occurred at her bungalow in the upscale National Housing Society in Aundh.
The Night of the Crime: Restrained and Robbed
Based on an oral complaint by Puja Khedkar, an FIR was lodged at the Chaturshringi police station on Sunday night at 11:26 PM. According to the police, Khedkar reported the theft around 1:30 AM on Sunday. She alleged that the domestic help, identified as Hikmat, and six accomplices tied her hands and legs with a string around 12:30 AM, confined her to a room, and threatened to kill her.
The accused then administered sedatives to her parents, Dilip and Manorama Khedkar, watchman Jitendra Singh, car driver Dadasaheb Dhakne, and cook Sujit Roy. Subsequently, they allegedly looted cell phones and other valuables from cupboards in the bungalow.
Police Response and Investigation Details
Upon arrival, police found Khedkar's parents unconscious in their room. Singh was found unconscious in the car parking lot, Dhakne in a ground-floor room, and Roy in a room outside the bungalow. An ambulance was called, and all unconscious individuals were hospitalized. Police confirmed they are now stable but not yet fit to give statements.
Puja Khedkar managed to free herself and alerted the police and her brothers, Vinay Budhwant and Harshad Budhwant. Although asked to file a formal complaint, she initially declined due to concerns about her parents' health, prompting the police to register the FIR themselves.
The case has been filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including dacoity, criminal breach of trust by a servant, theft, wrongful confinement, causing hurt by poison, and criminal intimidation. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Chilumula Rajnikant stated that a search is underway for the accused, all suspected to be natives of Nepal. Hikmat had been employed by the family just over a week before the incident.
Challenges and Context
The investigation faces hurdles as CCTV cameras at the bungalow were non-functional. Police are scanning footage from nearby cameras to gather clues. The exact nature and value of the stolen items remain unknown as Khedkar has not provided those details yet.
This incident adds to the controversies surrounding Puja Khedkar. Selected through the Civil Services Examination 2022, she was dismissed in September 2024 after the UPSC cancelled her selection over allegations of cheating, wrongly availing OBC and disability quotas, and exceeding the permitted attempt limit. She is contesting the decision in court.
Furthermore, her parents are themselves accused in a separate criminal case for allegedly threatening farmers in Mulshi tehsil in June 2023, an incident that gained notoriety after a video of Manorama Khedkar brandishing a gun surfaced online.
