IAS Officer Puja Khedkar's Parents 'On The Run' After FIR For Threatening Farmer, Say Cops

Pune Rural Police have booked the Khedkar couple and five others under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

The parents of trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, who came under media scanner over her alleged misuse of power, are now evading authorities. This comes after a video surfaced online showing her mother -- Manorama Khedkar--threatening a farmer with a gun over a land dispute.

After the viral video surfaced, Pune police registered a first information report (FIR) against Manorama and her husband Dilip Khedkar, along with five others.

Pune police on Monday said it has been unable to get in touch with Manorama Khedkar, in connection with the case registered against her over a land dispute.

A team with a senior officer of the Pune Rural police has been visiting Manorama's bungalow at Baner Road in the city but has not been able to track her down. "We visited the house on Sunday and today, but have not been able to enter the premises. Her mobile phone is also switched off. Once we find her, an inquiry will be set up and legal action will be taken," PTI reported an official as saying.

Speaking on the matter, Pune Rural SP Pankaj Deshmukh said that Khedkar's parents are evading authorities and cannot be reached by phone as they have switched off their cell phones.

“The accused are on the run, we are trying to contact them but they are not reachable as their phones are switched off. We have also tried to reach their residence but they are not available... Several teams, including officials from the local crime branch and local police stations, are searching for them in Pune and nearby places where they have some farmhouses and other residences. If found, we will question them and take action accordingly,” Deshmukh told ANI.

Pune Rural Police have booked the Khedkar couple and five others under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including section 323 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property), at Paud police station.

The case was registered days after a video surfaced on social media, which showed Manorama, accompanied by her security guards, engaged in a heated argument with some people with a pistol in her hand in Dhadwali village in Pune’s Mulshi tehsil.