Sacked IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar’s parents, 3 others found unconscious at Pune bungalow; domestic help prime suspect

The police said they were told that the two brothers of Puja Khedkar were not at the bungalow at the time of the theft, and they were later informed about it by Puja Khedkar.

The police said the cupboard in Puja Khedkar’s parents’ room was open and various items inside were found helter-skelter on the floor. Also, the belongings in the cupboards in three more rooms in the bungalow were lying scattered on the floor.

Chilumula Rajnikant, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4), said, “The five persons, who were in a semi-unconscious state, were taken to the hospital for treatment. They are not yet in a position to give any statement. But we have launched an investigation into the incident.”

The police said that CCTV cameras at the bungalow were not functional. So, they were checking videos captured by CCTV cameras at other points to get clues about the suspect. The Pune police were also trying to confirm what other things the suspect had stolen from the bungalow, apart from the cell phones.

Senior police inspector Uttam Bhajnawale said nobody from the Khedkar family has registered a First Information Report (FIR) yet.

Dismissed from IAS

In September 2024, the Centre dismissed Puja Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled her selection.

Puja Khedkar, who was selected in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022, was accused of appearing for the exam though the permitted nine attempts were over. She was allegedly able to do so as she changed her own and her parents’ names to appear as a different candidate.

Puja Khedkar was found guilty of cheating and wrongly availing of the benefits of Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota. After cancelling her selection, the UPSC had barred her from taking the entrance exam for life. The Commission found her guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times. She has denied the charge and is contesting the decision in court.

Her father, Dilip Khedkar, and mother, Manorama Khedkar, were named as accused in the FIR lodged at the Paud police station for allegedly threatening farmers at the Dhadawali village in the Mulshi tehsil on June 5, 2023. The FIR was lodged after a video showing Manorama Khedkar brandishing a gun at a farmer following a land dispute surfaced on social media and television channels.