For weeks, Bollywood’s Dhurandhar had reignited public fascination with the name Rehman Dacoit, a character portrayed as ruthless, elusive, and feared. But while cinema romanticised the outlaw, real police teams across India were chasing a far more dangerous reality.
And then, quietly, without gunfire or drama, the Surat City Police Crime Branch brought the real Rehman Dacoit to his knees.
Behind this operation stood IPS Bhavesh Rojiya, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Surat, an officer known less for noise and more for precision.
THE CRIMINAL EVERYONE WAS LOOKING FOR
The man arrested was no ordinary fugitive.
Abid Ali, also known as Raju Irani and Rehman Dacoit, was the mastermind behind Bhopal’s notorious ‘Irani Dera’ gang. His criminal footprint stretched across at least seven states: Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Police files listed his crimes as a disturbing mix of robbery, fraud, arson, highway loot, and organised gang operations. In multiple cases, he had been booked under the stringent provisions of MCOCA, marking him as a high-risk offender.
His signature tactic was deception. Sometimes, his gang posed as astrologers or sadhus, entering homes under the pretext of religious rituals, only to walk away with gold and valuables. On highways and deserted roads, they erected fake police barricades, stopping unsuspecting travellers and looting them at will.
Changing identities was his shield. After every arrest, a new name. New documents. A new face for the same crimes.
THE ESCAPE THAT TRIGGERED THE FINAL CHASE
Last month, Abid Ali slipped through police hands during a raid at Irani Dera in Bhopal. According to police accounts, the escape was aided by stone pelting, allowing the gang leader to vanish yet again.
Intelligence soon revealed his next move, Surat.
He was hiding at his brother-in-law’s house in Lalgate, believing distance and disguise would buy him safety. What he didn’t know was that the Crime Branch in Surat had already begun closing in.
THE SILENT OPERATION IN SURAT
Under the leadership of DCP Bhavesh Rojiya, the Surat City Crime Branch planned the operation with a single goal: no chaos, no collateral damage.
When the arrest finally happened, it stunned even seasoned officers.
Not a single bullet was fired. No chase. No confrontation. Just calculated police work, precise timing, and absolute control of the situation.
By the time Abid Ali realised the net had tightened, the man who had evaded police teams from six states was already in handcuffs.
WHY HE CALLED HIMSELF ‘REHMAN DACOIT’
Investigators later revealed a chilling detail.
Abid Ali deliberately adopted the name “Rehman Dacoit” to spread fear. He believed the name alone would give him control, influence, and protection while in hiding. Each new identity helped him disappear into the shadows, until Surat.
With his arrest, the fear attached to that name collapsed.
THE OFFICER BEHIND THE OPERATION
Bhavesh Rojiya’s journey in the Gujarat Police began in 2004, when he joined as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI).
Promotion followed responsibility. From DSP (SP rank) to ACP in Surat city, and eventually Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rojiya built a reputation for handling complex cases that others found difficult to crack.
Before the Rehman Dacoit arrest, he had already made headlines for:
- Cracking the Gandhinagar serial killer case
- Seizing large drug consignments
- Detaining foreign nationals, including Pakistanis, Iranians, and Afghans, involved in illegal activities
Within police circles, he is known as an officer who gives his full focus to the case at hand, methodical, alert, and deeply involved in field operations.
REAL LIFE, MORE INTENSE THAN CINEMA
While Dhurandhar played out on cinema screens, the real story unfolded in police files, late-night briefings, and silent surveillance.
The arrest of Rehman Dacoit wasn’t just another success; it was a message.
That even the most slippery criminals, armed with fake names and forged identities, eventually run out of hiding places.
And that officers like IPS Bhavesh Rojiya, working without theatrics, continue to write real-life thrillers, one arrest at a time.
WHEN THE HANDCUFFS CLICKED
As Abid Ali stood arrested in Surat, the city barely noticed.
But across police headquarters in multiple states, there was a quiet acknowledgement: a long chase had ended.
And once again, IPS Bhavesh Rojiya had proven why his name commands respect in Gujarat’s policing circles, not through noise, but through results.
