Puja Khedkar Pune bungalow theft: ‘Domestic help drugged my parents and staff, tied my hands’

• Pune police probe theft at ex-IAS probationer Puja Khedkar's family bungalow
• Multiple family members and staff found unconscious, sedatives suspected
• Formal complaint and details of stolen valuables still pending

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Pune police are investigating a sensational case involving dismissed IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, following reports of a domestic worker allegedly sedating her parents and household staff before ransacking their Aundh bungalow in the early hours of Saturday.

According to police accounts, officers from the Chatushrungi police station were alerted to a theft at the Khedkar family’s Baner Road residence late on Saturday night. A police team dispatched to the scene arrived at bungalow number 112 to find the watchman, Jitendra Singh, lying unconscious in the parking area.

Inside the property, the situation grew more alarming. Khedkar’s parents, Dilip and Manorama Khedkar, were discovered unconscious on their bed. Multiple cupboards in their room and three other rooms had been opened, with belongings strewn across the floors, senior officers said.

Emergency services were summoned and the watchman along with Khedkar’s parents were rushed to a nearby hospital. A subsequent search of the premises revealed two more unconscious individuals: the family driver, Dadasaheb Dhakane, found in another room and the cook, Sujit Roy, located in an external room. Both were also hospitalised.

In a verbal statement to the police, Khedkar alleged that a “recently hired domestic worker, reportedly from Nepal, mixed sedatives in food or drinks, rendering her parents and staff unconscious.”

She further claimed she had been tied up during the incident, managed to free herself later and then contacted the authorities. She was accompanied at the scene by her two brothers, Vinay and Harshad Budhwant.

However, the investigation is proceeding with caution. Police officials confirmed that Khedkar had not yet filed a formal written complaint by Sunday and had not provided specific details about the valuables she claimed were stolen.

“We are trying to establish the sequence of events, the role of each staff member present at the time and whether valuables were actually stolen,” a senior police officer reportedly stated.

Senior officials have described the circumstances as unusual, with varying accounts complicating the preliminary investigation. They indicated that forensic teams are likely to be involved as the inquiry progresses to piece together the events of the night.

The incident places Khedkar back in the public eye amidst ongoing controversy. She was recently dismissed from her IAS probationary position following accusations of misrepresenting facts in her application for the 2022 Union Public Service Commission civil services examination to avail reservation benefits. She has previously refuted all allegations against her regarding the UPSC matter.