Puja Khedkar is a 2023-batch IAS officer from Maharashtra (File). Puja Khedkar - the on-probation IAS officer under scrutiny after allegedly lying about mental and visual disabilities , and her OBC background - to qualify for the Civil Service, now faces a fresh charge. Navi Mumbai Police submitted a report to the Maharashtra Home Department stating Ms Khedkar pressured the cops into releasing a family member accused of theft, news agency PTI said.
It is believed Ms Khedkar, on May 18, called a Deputy Commissioner of Police and demanded that he release a man suspected of transporting stolen steel. She insisted the man - identified in some reports as Ishwar Uttarwade - was innocent and that the charges against him were "minor". Ms Khedkar named herself in the call with the top cop.
However, in the report he said he was unsure if the caller was an imposter or who she claimed to be, i.e., a government official.
Either way, the police did not release Uttarwade, who remains in custody. Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch officer, had been posted as an Assistant Collector to Pune district. She was to begin her duties, as a trainee or junior officer, in June.
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": IAS Officer Puja Khedkar's Chats However, details have emerged this week of how she may have deceived authorities about medical conditions and her OBC status, as well as prodding her way into perks not meant for new officers. These included a siren, or beacon, and a 'Government of Maharashtra' stic.