Man abducted in road rage incident, rescued from Khedkar's home

NAVI MUMBAI: Rabale police have filed an FIR following a road rage case in which the helper of a cement mixer was kidnapped by a person driving an SUV which brushed past the vehicle on Mulund-Airoli road on Saturday evening.

DCP (zone 1) Pankaj Dahane said the SUV was in the name of Puja Automobiles, which is registered at the address of suspended IAS officer Puja Khedkar 's bungalow in Pune. The helper was rescued from Khedkar's Aundh Road bungalow, said Rabale senior inspector Balkrushna Sawant.

However, when police later went to the bungalow, they found it locked, said senior inspector Uttam Bhajnawale of Chatushrungi police station. The driver of the SUV is on the run. "We have summoned the SUV owner," Sawant said.

The complainant, Vilas Dhengre (53), who owns the cement mixer, told police that his driver Chandkumar Chavan had told him that the SUV had grazed his vehicle at a traffic signal on Mulund-Airoli bridge. Following an argument, the SUV driver told the truck's cleaner, Prahlad Kumar (22), to accompany him to Rabale police station. Around 8.30pm on Saturday, Chavan contacted Dhengre and informed him that Kumar was not answering his calls. Chavan and Dhengre met on Sion-Panvel highway at Kharghar and began a search for Kumar, in vain.

Rabale police later traced the SUV to Pune and rescued Kumar with help from Pune police. SI Sawant said, "The victim was held at the bungalow of suspended IAS officer Puja Khedkar at Aundh. However, the people there did not cooperate with our team. Khedkar's mother and others in the house have been asked to report to the police station.''

TOI tried to contact Puja Khedkar for comment, but she was unavailable.