Pune: Sacked IAS officer Puja Khedkar has run into fresh trouble.
A year after being dismissed from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Khedkar is in the news again after a truck driver, who had been missing following an accident, was traced to her Pune home.
According to police, a car and a mixer truck were involved in an accident on Saturday evening, on the Mulund-Airoli Road.
On receiving a call from the truck driver, owner Vilas Dhengare filed a complaint at Rabale police station based on which two unidentified persons were booked under BNS Section 137 (kidnapping).
Police said the driver informed the complainant that a heated argument ensued after the accident, and the duo inside the car forced him into the vehicle and took him away. They told the driver they would all go to the police station, but instead the car drove towards Pune.
Navi Mumbai’s assistant police inspector (API) Kharat, after obtaining details about the car, traced its location to Bavdhan, in Pune’s Chatushringi area. Based on the car registration details, API Kharat reached a flat in a housing society.
As API Kharat rang the bell, Puja’s mother Manorama Khedkar faced him, and engaged in an argument.
The police team rescued the driver after the argument.
A video of the argument between Manorama and police officials is circulating on social media. Police claimed Khedkar’s mother misbehaved with the police, refusing to open the door and obstructing police action.
Sacked IAS probationer Puja Khedkar’s mother, Manorama, confronts police during rescue of kidnapped truck driver from her home. Constable: ‘You’re not opening doors, not cooperating.’ Mentions ‘IPS’—context unclear. #PujaKhedkar #ManoramaKhedkar #IAS #KidnappingCase pic.twitter.com/rHAssQfqZD
— Vijay Kumbhar (@VijayKumbhar62) September 14, 2025
Hence police have issued summons to Manorama Khedkar, asking her to appear at the police station for questioning.
It may be recalled that last year, a viral video showing Manorama brandishing a gun during an argument over a land dispute had gone viral after Puja’s controversy. The video sparked public outrage, leading to Manorama’s arrest from Hirkaniwadi village in Raigad.
Last year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled Puja’s selection after she was found guilty of cheating and wrongly availing Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits. UPSC subsequently barred her from taking the entrance exam for life.
