Has Puja Khedkar Escaped to Dubai Amid Arrest Fears? Former IAS Officer, Her Father Remains Missing

New Delhi: Former IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is surrounded by controversies and whose anticipatory bail has been rejected, is ‘missing’ for over a week. 

There is a possibility that Khedkar has escaped to Dubai amid arrest fears; her father, Dilip Khedkar also remains ‘untraceable’. 

Where is Puja Khedkar?

The police is unable to find the location of former IAS officer Pooja Khedkar; her phone remains switched off and she is not even at her residence in Pune.

Delhi Police is constantly trying to get in touch with her but she remains untraceable.

Along with her, her father Dilip Khedkar has also been ‘missing’; the police is searching for the father-daughter duo. 

Has Puja Khedkar Escaped to Dubai amid Arrest Fears?

There are reports suggesting that Puja Khedkar has fled to Dubai, to escape arrest; her anticipatory bail has been rejected by the court. 

The speculations about Khedkar fleeing to Dubai began after her anticipatory bail was rejected on August 1; however, Delhi Police has not confirmed these reports.

Former IAS Officer Denied Anticipatory Bail

The court accused Puja Khedkar of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits, saying these are serious allegations that "require a thorough investigation".

Khedkar, who has not been arrested in the case, had approached the court through her lawyer, saying she faces "immediate threat of arrest".

"Custodial interrogation of the accused is required to unearth the whole conspiracy and to establish involvement of the other persons involved in conspiracy," Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said.

Hearing the plea, the judge said the case is "only the tip of the iceberg", and asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to have a relook at its recommendations made in the recent past and the Delhi Police to widen its scope of investigation.

He said the UPSC is required to find out candidates who might have illegally availed of attempts beyond permissible limits, obtained benefits of OBC (non-creamy layer) and Persons with Benchmark Disability quota despite being not entitled.

The judge directed the Delhi Police to conduct its investigation "in all fairness" to find out candidates recommended in recent past who might have illegally availed of such benefits. The judge further directed the police to find out whether some insider from the UPSC also helped Khedkar.