Amid heightened pressure on the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the police force over the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case, Hemant Nagrale has taken over as the new Commissioner of Mumbai Police after Param Bir Singh’s transfer on Wednesday, 17 March.
Along with the controversy over the case of explosives being discovered outside Antilia (Ambani residence), which is now being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Nagrale has taken charge while the Mumbai police is handling several high-profile cases of political relevance, including the fake TRP scam involving Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami.
However, Nagrale himself is known to have tackled several tedious cases in the past.
This isn’t the first stint as Commissioner of Mumbai Police for Nagrale, an IPS officer from the 1987 batch Maharashtra Cadre.
Soon after taking charge, Nagrale while addressing the media, said that he will act as per the law and will instruct officers to follow his lead.
“The Mumbai Police is currently undergoing turmoil due to some bad instances that have occurred. I won't comment on the ongoing investigation. We will regain the glory and pride of Mumbai Police,” he said.
Climbed Up the Ladder With Successful Handling of Cases
Nagrale was the Directorate General of Maharashtra Police before being appointed as the Mumbai Police Commissioner on Wednesday.
He did his schooling from ZP School in Chandrapur district and Patwardhan High School in Nagpur.
A mechanical engineer from Nagpur’s Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagrale did his post-graduation in Master of Finance Management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai.
He was first posted in the naxal-affected Chandrapur District as the ASP of Rajura from 1989-92. In the following years, Nagrale handled many high-profile during postings at several places across Maharashtra:
- DCP, Solapur (1992 t-1994): Credited with creation of new Solapur Commissionerate
- SP, Ratnagiri (1994-1996): Handled the land acquisition case of Dabhol Power Plant
- SP, CID, Crime (1996-1998): Probed the MPSC paper leakage case spread across several parts of Maharashtra
- Stint with CBI (1998-2002): Posted as SP, Banking and Fraud, CBI, Mumbai; later as DIG, CBI, New Delhi.
- Additional Commissioner of Police (East), Mumbai (2007-2008)
- Special IGP and Director, Vigilance and Security in MSEDCL (June 2008-August 2010): Credited with 25 percent increase in revenue due to a reduction in power theft cases
- 2014: Additional charge as Commissioner of Police
- Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai (2016-2018)
Other High-Profile Cases and Projects
According to India Today, during his tenure at the CBI, Nagrale conducted investigations of several high-profile cases including the Rs 130 crore Bank of India case, Rs 1,800 crore Madhavpura Bank scam and the Rs 400 crore Harshad Mehta scam.
He also worked under SS Puri, the then DGP, and was part of the SIT that investigated the Telgi stamp paper scam.
According to India Today, Nagrale is credited with revamping the MPKAY health scheme for Maharashtra police during his tenure as Special IGP (Administration) in DG office and setting up 40 Central Police Canteens all over Maharashtra by successfully executing the Central Police Canteen Scheme.
During his tenure as Joint Commissioner of Police (Admin), Mumbai, he drafted the residential quarters’ allotment policy, ensuring transparency in quarter allotment in Mumbai.
He also looked after the Forensic Science Laboratories in Maharashtra after he was elevated to DG rank in October 2018.
Hemant Nagrale has received several awards like the President’s Police Medal, Vishesh Seva Padak and Antarik Suraksha Padak, among others.
(With inputs from ANI and India Today.)
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