The Pune Police on Thursday arrested Manorama Khedkar, mother of controversial IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, from a lodge in Raigad district on charges of threatening villagers with a pistol. A local court later remanded her in police custody till July 20.
Manorama had been at large ever since a video emerged showing her, along with her husband Dilip Khedkar, threatening some villagers by brandishing the gun over a land dispute at Dhadwali in Pune's Mulshi tehsil.
According to an NDTV report, Manorama hired a private cab to reach the lodge in Mahad and was staying there with the cab driver, whom she introduced as her son. She also used a fake Aadhaar card that identified her as Indubai to get the room, the report said, quoting police sources.
Manorama and Dilip Khedkar have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) sections, including 323 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property), and the Arms Act. Dilip is yet to be arrested.
The case against the Khedkar couple hit the headlines amid a massive row over their daughter Pooja Khedkar’s alleged misuse of power and privileges.
Pooja, a 2023-batch IAS officer, is accused of misrepresenting herself under the physical disabilities category to qualify the exam and later abusing her position. She also allegedly submitted a fake Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate.
Pooja was transferred from Pune to Washim earlier this month after allegations that the officer had made repeated requests for a private cabin, car, living quarters, and a peon even before joining duty on June 3.
Following the allegation, Pooja’s training in Maharashtra was put on hold on Tuesday and she was recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie.
The Centre has formed a one-member panel to examine the controversy while Pune police said they have already launched an investigation into the unauthorised use of a red-blue beacon light and 'Maharashtra Government' sticker on the private Audi car of Khedkar.
