The parents of controversial IAS trainee Pooja Khedkar, facing a case for threatening farmers with a pistol, are absconding, according to a top official with the Pune police. This comes as the police slapped an FIR on Manorama and Dilip Khedkar after a video went viral showing Manorama brandishing a pistol to threaten the farmers over a land dispute in Pune's Mulshi taluka.
Pune Rural SP Pankaj Deshmukh told ANI on Monday that the couple were not at their homes. "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," Deshmukh told ANI.
He added that several teams of Pune Police, including officials from the local crime branch and local police stations, are searching for the duo at their farmhouses and residences. "If found, we will question them and take action accordingly," he added.
However, Pooja Khedkar refused to comment on the case against her parents, stating rules did not permit her to do so.
The two-minute video shows Manorama Khedkar brandishing a pistol to threaten a group of farmers, yelling at a man over what appeared to be a land dispute. She, however, conceals the pistol on realising that she is being recorded.
Manorama is heard in the video yelling at a man in Marathi, asking him to show her "satbara" (land documents). He replies that his name is on the land document and the case is in court. She then asks to see the court order and warns the man not to "teach me the rules".
The Pune police had confiscated a luxury car used by the trainee IAS on Sunday. The Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) had issued a notice to a city-based private company, which is the registered owner of the Audi car that 34-year-old Khedkar used during her posting here.
Shivane village in Haveli taluka was mentioned as the address of the registered user, as per officials.