Navi Mumbai, Sept. 21 -- The Rabale police have arrested the driver of former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar's father in connection with the kidnapping of a truck helper following a road rage incident earlier this month. The case has added another layer of controversy to the Khedkar family, already under the scanner over Puja's alleged misuse of caste and disability quotas in the civil services examination. The accused, identified as Praful Gnyaneshwar Salunkhe, was arrested from Shindkheda in Dhule district on Thursday after investigators tracked him using technical surveillance and local intelligence. He was produced before a Belapur court on Saturday and remanded in police custody till September 23. The case stems from a September 13 accident near McDonald's signal on the Mulund-Airoli highway, where a Land Cruiser allegedly brushed against a transit mixer truck. Police said the SUV's owner, Dilip Khedkar, and his driver Salunkhe confronted the truck driver and his 22-year-old helper, Prahlad Chauhan, demanding money for repairs. When the demand was refused, the duo allegedly forced Chauhan into the SUV and drove him to the Khedkar family bungalow in Pune. A complaint was filed by truck owner and sand trader Vilas Dengre at the Rabale police station, prompting a search operation. "The next day, the victim was traced to a flat in Aundh, Pune, and rescued during a raid led by API Deepak Kharat," said an officer. According to police, Chauhan was confined in a watchman's room at the bungalow, fed stale food and threatened with dire consequences unless money was paid. His mobile phone was seized to prevent him from seeking help. Investigators further found that Manorama Khedkar, Puja's mother, allegedly directed an aide to remove the DVR from the bungalow's CCTV system in an attempt to destroy evidence. Additional charges have since been invoked under the BNS, including voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, extortion, common intention and destruction of evidence. Separately, Pune police have also booked Manorama for obstructing the rescue operation. While Salunkhe is in custody, Dilip and Manorama Khedkar, Puja's parents remain absconding. "Multiple teams have been deployed across Navi Mumbai and Pune to track them," assistant commissioner of police Rahul Dhas said. The case comes against the backdrop of ongoing controversies surrounding their daughter, Puja Khedkar. Selected as a probationary IAS officer in 2022, she is accused of misrepresenting her caste and disability status to claim reservation benefits in the UPSC examination. The Union Public Service Commission has lodged a criminal case against her, and the Delhi Police registered an FIR citing impersonation and forgery. The Khedkar family has been in the news before. Last year, a video surfaced showing Manorama threatening a farmer, for which she was arrested and later granted bail....