In a heartwarming gesture, an IPS officer in Jammu and Kashmir extended a helping hand to an old man selling channa in Srinagar. The officer is Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Srinagar, Mr. Sandeep Chaudhary, who did not think twice to help a 90-year-old vendor who was robbed of Rs 1 lakh by some miscreants. This robbery incident, like many others, would have passed by unnoticed if not for the kind gesture of the police officer, who compensated the money lost by the old man by giving him 1 lakh from his own pocket.
Speaking exclusively to Indian Masterminds, the officer said that the old man’s plight moved him so much that he didn’t wait for his men to arrest the robbers and straightaway gave the lost amount to the old man from his own pocket.
THE OFFICER SAVIOUR
The incident took place a few days ago when the roadside channa seller named Abdul Rahman got thrashed by some burglars at Bohri Kadal locality who robbed him of his life savings that he had kept for his last rites. The amount that was taken is huge: Rs 1 lakh. The incident did not take much time to spread as videos and pictures of the old man started circulating on social media. The old man even narrated the whole incident in a video in which he spoke about how these robbers thrashed him and snatched away Rs 1 Lakh from him.
SSP Sandeep Chaudhary told Indian Masterminds: “This incident came to my knowledge through messaging app WhatsApp in which I saw the photo of the old man who got robbed. I was moved by seeing the picture and condition of the man after he was robbed. I did not wait for the police force to first catch the culprits. I helped him by giving the lost amount from my pocket itself.”
This noble gesture of the officer broke the internet as people started appreciating his gesture from all over the country.
It has also come to light that the old man was not only carrying one lakh rupees, but he had Rs. 60,000 in his other pocket as well. The officer said, “This amount was his hard-earned money and what he saved in all his 90 years of life. For a poor man like him, it is very difficult to save that much money and then lose it all to robbers. This really made me sad and, hence, I did what all I could to make the situation right.”
INVESTIGATION ON FAST TRACK
The police department of Srinagar registered an FIR against the people who robbed the old man, and the investigation was put on fast track. The police showed a few pictures of suspects to the old man. However, he could not identify anyone. Mr. Chaudhary said that “an investigation is in progress, and we will soon find the culprits.”
Among the many praises the officer received, one was from former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina who added his comment on Twitter, appreciating the kind gesture of the police officer.
