Uniform and policing always attracted him. He felt in love with the glamour and charisma brought by ‘Khaki’. After serving in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), when he appeared in UPSC, all that mattered to him was getting into IPS. And when he got what he wanted, happiness knew no bounds as his dream got fulfilled.
However, the journey was not easy for him. From IIT Delhi to UPSC preparation, he had to deal with various ups and down. But, all his efforts paid off and today he is one of the most successful IPS officers in the country. He is Mr. Amit Lodha, currently serving as IGP, State Crime Record Bureau, Bihar.
He is known for nabbing some of the most dreaded criminals of the state. He has written a book on one such adventure. A web series have also been made on his first book titled ‘Bihar Diaries: The True Story of How Bihar’s Most Dangerous Criminal Was Caught’. After his first book became a hit, the officer chronicled his journey from shaving his head in between UPSC preparation to everyday adventures in his life. The book is called ‘Life In The Uniform’.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Lodha talked about some incidents that he has mentioned in his book. About shaving his head, he said, “When we are young, we are really curious and insecure about our looks. I used to check out myself in the mirror every 10-15 minutes. I went for styling my hair so frequently. I thought I was wasting so much time on my hair and so I shaved it off!”
This continued till he got the call for interview from the UPSC.
GETTING MEMO ON THE FIRST DAY
He was too excited to be a part of the police fraternity. It was his first day in LBSNAA for the foundation course . He had no idea about how things happen here. All of them were asked to assemble at 5 PM. Somehow, he missed this message and went out to play tennis. One of the trainer saw him playing, and a memo was sent to him on the very first day. “I was the first trainee to get the memo on the first day. It was an intentional mistake but I learnt a lot from the trainers at LBSNAA”, he said.
CATCHING KIDNAPPER BUYING KURKURE
Another interesting event in his life is related to a kidnapping case. To solve it, he took the help of a lady home guard. She impersonated a sex worker on the phone and lured the kidnapper. “She was very uncomfortable doing that but we trained her to say the dialogues. It was challenging but she rose up to the occasion,” he said.
The most interesting part about that case was that the kidnapper was caught while buying a Kurkure packet. “Actually, one of my staff went to buy something to eat while we were waiting for the kidnapper to show up. Interestingly, that guy too came to the shop to buy Kurkure. That’s how we caught him. We really got lucky and it turned to be hilarious event. ”
WAY OF LIFE
These are not the only interesting events in his life. Every day is an adventure for this officer and all those experiences have taught him something or the other. Police service is like a way of life for him. He says that he is proud to be a police officer and it gives him immense happiness. If he lets go of someone who is innocent, he changes his life from that moment.
Being in police provides him the opportunity to provide instant relief for many. When asked about the learnings on the job, he said, “I have learned that nobody is perfect. We commit mistakes at every stage of life. What matters is to accept those mistakes and move ahead.”
