Controversial IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, who is facing a probe for alleged misuse of power and lying about her disabilities to qualify for the civil services examination, called the police officers to her home in Maharashtra’s Washim on Monday, reports have claimed.
Three women cops reached Khedkar’s home at 11 pm on Monday night and left by 1 am, NDTV reported. The TV channel said that the IAS officer had requested the meeting, claiming she had some pieces of information to share with them.
Khedkar, a 2023 batch officer, is accused of misrepresenting herself under the physical disabilities category to qualify the exam and later abusing her position. She also allegedly submitted a fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate.
The 34-year-old probationary officer was asked several times to report at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to undergo a mandatory medical test to confirm her disabilities, but she refused to do so.
Khedkar was transferred from Pune to Washim earlier this month following allegations that the officer had made repeated requests for a private cabin, car, living quarters, and a peon even before joining duty on June 3.
The Centre has formed a one-member panel to examine the controversy, while Pune Police said they have already launched an investigation into the unauthorised use of a red-blue beacon light and 'Maharashtra Government' sticker on the private Audi car of Khedkar.
The police said they will also conduct an inquiry into the authenticity of medical certificates submitted by Khedkar.
"We have received a letter from the Office of the Commissioner For Persons With Disabilities. They have asked us to check the authenticity of certificates submitted by Puja Khedkar. We will verify the facts about these certificates, from where they were obtained, which doctor or hospitals certified them will also be scanned,” a senior police officer told PTI on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the police have launched a manhunt for Khedkar’s parents in a separate criminal case. An FIR has been filed against the couple and five others after a video emerged on social media showing them threatening a few men with a gun over a land dispute.