NEW DELHI: The parents of IAS officer Puja Khedkar are on the run following the filing of an FIR against them for allegedly threatening a farmer. The development comes amid heightened media scrutiny of Khedkar, who recently sparked controversy with her demands for a separate cabin and staff during her posting in Pune.
Puja is also accused of using a private luxury car with a VIP number plate and red-blue beacon, during her tenure at the Pune collector’s office.
Separate teams of Pune police visited the Baner bungalow of Puja’s mother, Manorama Khedkar, on Sunday, but received no response despite repeated attempts to make contact.
Pune Rural SP Pankaj Deshmukh stated, “The accused are on the run. We are trying to contact them, but their phones are switched off. We have also visited their residence, but they were not available. Several teams, including local crime branch officials and local police stations, are searching for them in Pune and nearby areas 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 from witnesses in Dhadawali and conducted a spot panchnama. At 7 am on Sunday, officials from the Paud police and the Rural police’s local crime branch arrived at Manorama’s bungalow.
City police commissioner Amitesh Kumar had said on Saturday that the license for the .25 bore Webley and Scott pistol, issued to Manorama by Pune police in 2000 for self-defense, is under review. Following the registration of the case by Paud police, Pune police intended to serve a notice to Manorama demanding an explanation for the misuse of the firearm and threatening license revocation. Kumar signed the notice on Saturday night.
The notice, addressed to Manorama, details the case registered by Paud police and cites the violation of firearm license terms. It mandates a response within 10 days, warning that failure to comply will result in the cancellation of the license.
(With input from agencies)