Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar contacted the Pune Police close to midnight on Saturday, alleging a chilling crime inside her family bungalow on Baner
Road that set off a chain of questions that refuse to settle easily. According to officials, as quoted by a PTI report, Khedkar claimed that a recently hired domestic worker had sedated her and her parents before escaping with valuables, leaving the household unconscious and bound. The complaint, conveyed verbally, immediately drew attention because of the family’s previous run-ins with the law.
How events unfolded
Police said Khedkar told them that the domestic help, reportedly from Nepal, mixed sedatives into food or drinks consumed by the family. The substance allegedly rendered Khedkar and her parents, Dilip and Manorama Khedkar, unconscious inside their own home.
According to her account, once the three lost consciousness, the accused tied them up and fled with mobile phones and other valuables from the bungalow. Khedkar claimed she later regained consciousness, managed to free herself, and used another phone to alert the police.
An officer confirmed that the information was shared verbally and that no formal written complaint has yet been submitted. Details of the items allegedly stolen have also not been formally listed. Despite these gaps, Pune police said a preliminary inquiry has been initiated to verify the claims and establish the sequence of events.
Investigators are expected to question staff members, check CCTV footage in and around the Baner Road area, and examine whether any sedatives were administered, officials said.
‘Not the 1st time in news’
The episode has revived scrutiny of the Khedkar family, which has been in the public eye before.
Last year, police registered a case against Dilip and Manorama Khedkar over the alleged abduction of a truck driver following a road rage incident in Navi Mumbai. That case had triggered widespread discussion and legal action at the time.
Puja Khedkar herself has also faced controversy. She is currently dealing with allegations of misrepresentation in her application for the 2022 UPSC civil services examination to claim reservation benefits. Khedkar has denied all accusations related to the UPSC case.
For now, police stress that the latest incident remains at a preliminary stage. With no written complaint on record yet and key details still unverified, investigators say the focus is on establishing facts before drawing conclusions.
(With Inputs from PTI)
