Abducted truck helper from Rabale, rescued from Khedkar’s house in Pune

Police investigations traced the car’s location to Pune, and when a team from the Navi Mumbai police arrived at the location, they found the vehicle parked inside a residential society. Assistant police inspector DB Kharat said the vehicle’s registration details led them to the address of a bungalow which belongs to Puja Khedkar, and the victim was rescued from within

Navi Mumbai: The police rescued a 22-year-old truck helper who had allegedly been abducted on Saturday after a road accident in Airoli. The Navi Mumbai police said they found him in Pune at the residence of former probationary IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar, where her mother was present.

Abducted truck helper from Rabale, rescued from Khedkar’s house in Pune

On Saturday, the victim, Prahlad Kumar, a resident of the Turbhe Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) was accompanying the driver of a mixer truck when the vehicle grazed a nearby car at the Airoli signal along the Mulund-Airoli road. According to the police, the two men in the car confronted the truck driver, Chandkumar Chavan and insisted that Kumar and him accompany them to the nearby police station.

The police said that the duo then forced Kumar into their car and asked Chavan to follow them. Later, Chavan tried to contact Kumar but his calls went unanswered. Suspicious, he searched the area, and when he could not find Kumar, he finally reached out to Vilas Dhondiram Dengre, 53, the owner of the truck who runs a concrete transport business. Dengre then filed a police complaint, and a kidnapping case was registered against the unidentified persons.

Police investigations traced the car’s location to Pune, and when a team from the Navi Mumbai police arrived at the location, they found the vehicle parked inside a residential society. Assistant police inspector DB Kharat said, “The vehicle’s registration details led us to the address of a bungalow which belongs to Puja Khedkar. Inside the bungalow we found Khedkar’s mother.” Kharat added that they later rescued Kumar from Khedkar’s house.

Senior inspector of Rabale police, Balkrushna Sawant, said, “Khedkar’s mother attempted to obstruct official work as she was not cooperating with the investigation. She has been asked to appear before the Rabale police for questioning.” The police are yet to reveal the connection between Khedkar and the unidentified accused. Despite attempts to reach her, HT could not contact Khedkar.

Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, found herself in a controversy last year for using her private Audi with a ‘Government of Maharashtra’ sticker and a red-blue beacon in Pune among other things. Even before she was an assistant collector she allegedly demanded an official car with a VIP plate number, accommodation, and an official chamber with adequate staff, all privileges that trainee officers are not entitled to. Khedkar has also claimed to be from the OBC category, but her father’s assets raised questions about her eligibility as an OBC candidate.