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Truck worker abducted: Why former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar is in trouble again?
Puja Khedkar had been accused of faking her identity to secure additional UPSC attempts and wrongly claiming benefits under the OBC and disability quotas.
Former probationary IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar has come into the spotlight again after a truck helper was rescued from her Pune residence following an alleged abduction after a road accident in Airoli.
The rescued truck helper, 22-year-old Prahlad Kumar, a resident of Turbhe Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), was accompanying mixer truck driver Chandkumar Anil Chavan on Saturday evening when their vehicle lightly scraped a car at the Airoli signal along the Mulund-Airoli road.
Police said the two men in the car confronted Chavan and insisted that both he and Kumar accompany them to a nearby police station. The duo then forced Kumar into their car while asking Chavan to follow.
Later, when Chavan tried to contact Kumar, his calls went unanswered. Growing concerned, Chavan searched the area but could not find Kumar, after which he contacted Vilas Dhondiram Dengre, 53, the truck owner who runs a concrete transport business. Dengre filed a police complaint, and a kidnapping case was registered against unidentified persons.
Investigations led police to Pune, where a Navi Mumbai police team found the car 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.” He added that Kumar was later rescued from the residence.
Senior Inspector Balkrushna Sawant of Rabale police 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 have yet to reveal the connection between Khedkar and the unidentified accused. Despite repeated attempts, Hindustan Times could not contact Khedkar for comment.
The 2023 batch trainee officer had been accused of faking her identity to secure additional UPSC attempts and wrongly claiming benefits under the OBC and disability quotas.
She was discharged from the Indian Administrative Services on September 7 after an inquiry under Rule 12 of the IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954.
Discrepancies in her candidature surfaced during her training in Pune, prompting the Centre to set up a committee on July 11. Its report, submitted on July 24, led to a summary enquiry.
