Retired Official Accused of Kidnapping Truck Cleaner in Alleged Organized Crime Scheme

According to the police, the investigation into the "truck cleaner kidnapping case" in Navi Mumbai has revealed that the incident was not a simple road rage incident, but rather an organized crime scheme involving Dilip Khedkar, a retired official and the father of former IAS officer Pooja Khedkar.

The case began on September 13, when Khedkar's Toyota Land Cruiser allegedly grazed a mixer truck on the Mulund-Airoli Road. Police say a furious Khedkar then assaulted the mixer driver, quarreled over damages, and forcibly took the truck's cleaner, Prahlad Kumar, into his own vehicle under the pretext of going to the police station. Instead, investigators allege, Khedkar drove the cleaner to his home in Pune and locked him inside the basement of his bungalow.

As police tried to locate the missing cleaner, they tracked his phone signal to Pune. When they arrived, they claim they were denied entry by Khedkar's wife, Manorama, who allegedly locked the bungalow gates and released dogs to intimidate the officers. Despite the resistance, Prahlad Kumar was eventually rescued from the premises.

Police further assert that both Dilip and Manorama Khedkar have criminal backgrounds, having been previously charged in a case of land grabbing at gunpoint. They also claim the accused have not cooperated with the investigation and have gone to great lengths to destroy evidence, including the bungalow's DVR system and the SUV involved.

The police told the court that the investigation cannot move forward unless the accused is in custody, as the Khedkars have allegedly continued to avoid contact with investigators even after Manorama was granted interim bail.