Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, infamous after he claimed that former minister Anil Deshmukh asked cops to collect money, is missing, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil said.
Several news agencies, on Friday, reported that Singh likely fled to Russia.
"Along with the Union Home Ministry, we're also searching for his whereabouts. I've heard something like that but as a government officer, he can't go abroad without government clearance. We've issued a Lookout Circular and if he went away, then it is not good," Patil told ANI.
He said the state government was in touch with the Centre to find Singh, who had levelled allegations of bribery against former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Also Read | Inquiry commission re-issues warrant against Param Bir Singh for failing to appear before it
Singh has been failing to appear in court in connection with the corruption allegations levelled by him against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh. The panel had issued a bailable warrant against him on September 7. But as the warrant couldn't be served upon him, it was re-issued till October 6.
Earlier, the commission had thrice imposed fines on Singh - Rs 5,000 in June and Rs 25,000 on two occasions last month - for failing to appear before it.
Singh was shunted as Mumbai Police Commissioner after his handling of the bomb scare case near Mukesh Ambani's residence.
Days after he was transferred to the Home Guards in March, he had claimed in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Deshmukh used to ask police officers to collect money from restaurant and bar owners in Mumbai.
Deshmukh, an NCP leader, resigned as minister in April this year, denying the allegations against him. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are probing the allegations made against Deshmukh by Param Bir Singh.
Singh has been booked in multiple cases of extortion. He is also facing a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act registered in April this year on a complaint lodged by a police inspector.
With PTI inputs
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