In a shocking incident in Pune, five individuals, including the parents of dismissed probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, were discovered unconscious inside their family bungalow in what appears to be a planned theft. The event unfolded in the early hours of Sunday at the National Housing Society in the upscale Aundh locality.
Details of the Aundh Bungalow Incident
The Pune police received a distress call from Puja Khedkar herself around 1:30 am on Sunday, January 11, 2026, reporting a theft at their residence. A team from the Chaturshringi police station promptly arrived at the scene. Puja Khedkar was present at the bungalow along with her brothers, Vinay Budhwant and Harshad Budhwant.
Upon searching the property, the police first found the watchman, Jitendra Singh, unconscious in the car parking area. Puja Khedkar then led the officers to her parents' bedroom, where her father Dilip Khedkar and mother Manorama Khedkar were lying in a similar state. The room showed clear signs of a robbery, with an open cupboard and belongings strewn across the floor.
The chaos was not confined to one room. Belongings in cupboards in three other rooms of the sprawling bungalow were also found scattered. In a ground-floor room, the family driver, Dadasaheb Dhakne, was found unconscious. The cook, Sujit Roy, was discovered in the same condition in a room outside the main bungalow.
Police Investigation and Suspected Motive
All five victims were rushed to a nearby hospital in a semi-conscious state. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Chilumula Rajnikant stated that they were not yet in a condition to provide statements. However, the police have launched a full-scale investigation.
The initial theory points towards an inside job. "It is prima facie suspected that a servant who was hired by the family possibly drugged them with sedatives for the purpose of committing theft. The suspect is missing from the spot," DCP Rajnikant revealed. A significant hurdle in the investigation is the non-functional CCTV camera system at the Khedkar bungalow. Police are now scanning footage from cameras in the surrounding area for clues.
Authorities requested Puja Khedkar to file a formal complaint, but she reportedly deferred, citing her parents' poor health. The police are proceeding with their probe based on the initial information.
Background of Puja Khedkar and Her Family
This incident adds another chapter to the controversial history of the Khedkar family. Puja Khedkar was dismissed from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in September 2024 after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled her selection. She had cleared the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 but was later found guilty of cheating by exceeding the permitted number of attempts and falsely availing benefits under the OBC and disability quotas. The UPSC barred her for life from the exam, a decision she is contesting in court.
Her parents, Dilip and Manorama Khedkar, are also no strangers to legal trouble. They were named as accused in an FIR at the Paud police station for allegedly threatening farmers in Dhadawali village, Mulshi tehsil, in June 2023. A viral video had shown Manorama Khedkar brandishing a gun during a land dispute.
The Pune police continue to investigate the mysterious theft and assault at the Aundh bungalow, hoping to piece together the sequence of events and apprehend the missing suspect.
