Pune: All About How Trainee IAS Pooja Khedkar’s Mother Was Traced In Raigad By Pune Police
Pune: All About How Trainee IAS Pooja Khedkar's Mother Was Traced In Raigad By Pune Police
Manorama Khedkar, mother of probationary IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, was arrested on Thursday from a homestay in Raigad district. Manorama was staying at the facility under a fictitious identity, ‘Indubai Dhakane.’ She had hired a private cab to visit different places before moving into the homestay around 11 pm on Wednesday.
The arrest was confirmed by Pune Rural SP Pankaj Deshmukh. “The cab driver, Dadasaheb Dhakane, showed his genuine Aadhaar card to the facility owner, while Manorama used the Aadhaar card of the cab driver’s mother to book the room,” said SP Deshmukh. The police team, which had been tracking her movements, was alerted when a cellphone number under surveillance became active. The location of the cellphone was traced to Hirkaniwadi, where the police team apprehended her.
The Paud police had registered a case against Manorama on July 12 after a video went viral on social media showing her brandishing a .25 Webley & Scott pistol on June 5, 2023. She was accompanied by bouncers during an argument with farmers over a land ownership issue at Dhadhawali village in Mulshi taluka. One of the farmers, Pandharinath Pasalkar, lodged a complaint.
Manorama was produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class Sudhir G Barde on Thursday afternoon and was remanded in police custody until July 20. Assistant Public Prosecutor Amar Nanaware informed the court that the police have invoked an attempted murder charge against Manorama based on a supplementary statement recorded by Pasalkar.
In his complaint, Pasalkar alleged that Manorama reached the disputed parcel of land in a four-wheeler and engaged in a heated argument with him. “She abused and threatened me and other villagers when I told her to leave the place as the land dispute would be decided by the civil court where the matter is pending. However, she insisted that she had purchased the land and her name was in the 7/12 extract showing ownership,” Pasalkar stated.
In the supplementary statement, Pasalkar further alleged that Manorama put a pistol to his head and was about to pull the trigger when he sat down in a panic, and people accompanying her pulled her back.
The investigation continues as the police gather more evidence and testimonies related to the case.
