NEW DELHI: IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s parents on the run after complaint filed FIR TREE Authorities have filed a case against Khedkar for allegedly threatening a farmer. The move comes amid heightened media scrutiny on Khedkar, who recently sparked controversy with his demands for a separate cabin and staff during his posting in Pune.
Puja is also accused of using a private luxury car with a VIP registration plate and red-blue flashing lights, during her tenure in the Pune Collector’s office.
Separate teams of Pune Police visited Puja’s mother’s Baner bungalow, Manorama Khedkar contacted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on September 10, but received no response despite repeated attempts to make contact.
Pankaj Deshmukh, SP of Pune Rural, said, “The accused are absconding. We are trying to contact them but their phones are switched off. We also visited their homes but they were not available. Several teams, including local crime branch officials and local police stations, are searching for them in and around Pune where they have other residences and farmhouses.”
The case was filed on Friday night after a video surfaced showing Manorama Khedkar, accompanied by private bouncers, brandishing a pistol on June 5 last year during an argument with farmers over a land ownership dispute.
On Saturday, police recorded statements of witnesses at Dhadawali and conducted a panchnama at the spot. At 7 am on Sunday, officers of Paud police and the local rural police branch reached Manorama bungalow.
City police commissioner Amitesh Kumar had said on Saturday that the licence to carry the .25 bore Webley and Scott pistol, issued to Manorama by the Pune police in 2000 for self-defence, was under review. After the Pune police registered the case, the Pune police had intended to serve a notice on Manorama demanding an explanation for misusing the firearm and threatening to revoke the licence. Kumar signed the notice on Saturday evening.
The notice, addressed to Manorama, details the case registered by the Paud police and cites the violation of the conditions of the firearms license. It demands a response within 10 days, warning that failure to comply with these conditions will result in the cancellation of the license.
(With contributions from agencies)
