Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Thursday said that the state government is searching for former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh, against whom an inquiry commission has issued a bailable warrant, The Hindu reported.

An inquiry commission headed by retired Bombay High Court judge Kailash Uttamchand Chandiwal issued the warrant against Singh on September 7. The commission has been formed to investigate the corruption allegations levelled by Singh against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Walse-Patil told reporters on Thursday that it “was not a good thing” if Singh had left the country, amid reports that he may have fled to Russia.

“Whether it is a minister, senior official or chief minister, all those who work for the government have to follow certain rules and regulations,” the state home minister said. “They cannot leave the country without notifying the government and must take prior permission.”

When asked about what action the state government will take against Singh, Walse-Patil said that the government will discuss the matter with the Centre. “We are looking for him and once he is found, we will decide,” he said.

Singh has accused Deshmukh of extorting money from owners of bars, restaurants and hookah parlours in Mumbai. The former state minister had denied the accusations, but resigned from the Cabinet on April 5 after the Bombay High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations.

Meanwhile, Singh has skipped appearance before the commission thrice since its constitution. The commission has imposed a total fine of Rs 30,000 on Singh.

The Maharashtra Police have also filed a total of four extortion cases against Singh. Two of these cases have been filed in Mumbai, while the other two have been filed in the neighbouring Thane district.

The most recent of these cases was filed at the Goregaon police station on August 20 following a complaint by a 48-year-old businessman identified as Bimal Agarwal.