Truck driver abducted, rescued from ex-IAS probationer Puja Khedkar's house

Mumbai: A truck driver, allegedly abducted after a road rage incident in Navi Mumbai, has been rescued from the house of former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar in Pune, police said on Monday.

Khedkar has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination.

The alleged abduction took place on Mulund-Airoli road in Navi Mumbai township on Saturday evening when Prahlad Kumar (22) was driving his concrete mixer truck, the police said.

The truck brushed against a sports utility vehicle, following which an argument took place between Kumar and two persons onboard the SUV, a Rabale police official said.

The SUV occupants then forcibly took Kumar in their vehicle under the pretext of taking him to a police station and fled the spot, the official said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the truck owner, a case was registered on Sunday under section 137(2) (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against two unidentified persons.

The police later tracked the SUV to Pune.

Based on technical evidence, the Navi Mumbai police found that Kumar was taken to Pune, following which a team went there on Sunday, the official said.

"We traced the vehicle and the victim to a bungalow belonging to Puja Khedkar," the official said.

Initially, Khedkar’s mother allegedly prevented the police from entering the house and got into a quarrel with them, the official said.

However, the police team later managed to enter the house. They rescued Kumar from there and brought him back to Navi Mumbai, he said.

No arrest has been made so far, while police have issued a notice to Khedkar’s mother to appear before them for questioning, the official said.

"Further investigation is underway to identify the kidnappers and their motive," the police added.

Khedkar has been accused of misrepresenting facts in her application for the 2022 UPSC civil services examination to avail herself of reservation benefits. She had refuted all the allegations against her.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has initiated a series of actions against Khedkar, including lodging of a criminal case, for availing attempts in the civil services exam by faking her identity, while the Delhi Police had lodged an FIR against her for various offences.