Pune – The desperate search for 24-year-old tech professional Puja Khedkar, who vanished two weeks ago, has been upended by a stunning police revelation. In a press conference that has sent shockwaves across the nation, Pune Police have dismissed the kidnapping theory, alleging the case is a meticulously planned operation by an “organised crime syndicate” with Puja’s own family at its core.
A Kidnapping Story Flipped on Its Head
The case, which garnered widespread public sympathy with the hashtag #FindPuja, has been completely redefined. What appeared to be a family’s heart-wrenching plea for their daughter’s safe return is now being portrayed by investigators as a calculated and deceptive charade.
“We are no longer investigating this as a kidnapping,” declared Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Vikram Singh, in a grim and resolute tone. “Initial investigations and electronic evidence suggest this is a far more complex matter. We have uncovered a deep-rooted web of financial fraud and extortion, and we believe the Khedkar family are not victims, but key players in this enterprise.”
Police Allege Organised Crime Syndicate Run by Family
The bombshell announcement followed a series of quiet, overnight raids leading to the detention of Puja’s father, prominent businessman Hemant Khedkar, and her uncle, Sameer Khedkar. Police sources suggest the “kidnapping” was allegedly staged to settle a high-stakes business dispute or to extort a massive sum from a rival group, using Puja’s disappearance as leverage.
Investigators claim to have pieced together a damning trail of evidence that directly contradicts the family’s initial statements to the media and authorities.
“We have analysed financial transactions, call data records, and CCTV footage that simply do not align with the story of a random kidnapping,” DCP Singh added. “The patterns we see are consistent with a pre-planned, high-level criminal conspiracy.”
Where is Puja Khedkar? From Victim to Person of Interest
This shocking claim raises the most pressing question: Where is Puja Khedkar? If her disappearance wasn’t a kidnapping, what is her role in this elaborate scheme?
While remaining tight-lipped about her exact whereabouts, police made another startling statement that changes everything. “Puja Khedkar is now a person of interest in our investigation,” Singh confirmed, shifting her status from a helpless victim to a potential accomplice. The public is now left wondering: is she in hiding willingly, or is she being held by her family’s own associates as part of the intricate plot?
The reaction from the community that rallied behind the Khedkar family has been one of disbelief and betrayal. The narrative has pivoted from a search for a missing daughter to an exposé of a family allegedly living a double life shrouded in crime.
As the investigation widens, police are expected to make more arrests. The search for a missing girl has morphed into a full-blown probe into a powerful criminal enterprise, leaving a city to grapple with the chilling reality that the greatest danger can sometimes come from those you trust the most.
