New Delhi

Controversial Indian Administrative Services (IAS) trainee Puja Khedkar has fled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) to evade arrest after her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a Delhi court on Thursday (Aug 1), media reports said on Friday.

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A report by FirstPost on Friday (Aug 2) said that Khedkar's mobile phone was switched off and she was not traceable for the last couple of weeks. Khedkar has been under scrutiny following complaints about alleged fake certificates and misconduct during her appointment as a probationary IAS officer in Pune.

Also Read | Delhi court denies pre-arrest bail to ex-IAS trainee Puja Khedkar in UPSC identity fraud case

She had been avoiding the media after the controversy over her disability and OBC status claims in her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) candidature started looming.

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Delhi court rejects Khedkar's anticipatory bail

The FirstPost report said that the speculations of Khedkar fleeing to Dubai came moments after the Patiala House court in Delhi rejected her anticipatory bail plea. The court said that the allegations against Khedkar were serious and required a thorough probe.

Also Read | 'Puja suffers...': Under fire IAS oficer Puja Khedkar's bureaucrat father comes to her rescue

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

UPSC cancels Khedkar's provisional candidature

A day before her bail plea was rejected, the UPSC cancelled her provisional candidature and permanently debarred her from taking all the exams or selections in the future.

The UPSC filed a case against Khedkar for allegedly fraudulently availing the benefits of quota by faking her identity to take the civil services examination beyond the permissible number of attempts.

(With inputs from agencies)