Lucknow: Manzil Saini, a 2005-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has built a career spanning district policing, central deputation and senior assignments in the Uttar Pradesh Police. She is currently serving as Inspector General (Vigilance), Uttar Pradesh Police, according to the state police database.
Saini came into the Indian Police Service after working in the corporate sector and studying international business. Over the years, she served as a district police chief in several parts of Uttar Pradesh and became the first woman to serve as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Lucknow.
Her service record includes a number of significant assignments, including a high-profile kidney-racket investigation and a hostage-rescue operation in Meerut that later earned her the President’s Medal for Gallantry.
From Physics Graduate to IPS Officer
Born in Delhi in September 1975, Saini studied Physics at St Stephen’s College, Delhi, before pursuing a master’s degree in International Business at the Delhi School of Economics, where she was a gold medallist, according to reports.
Read Also: IPS Manzil Saini: Gallantry Award Winner Who Chose the Toughest Roads in Policing
She subsequently worked in the corporate sector for around three years before appearing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. She cleared the examination in 2005 and joined the IPS, with Uttar Pradesh as her cadre. She was recruited on August 22, 2005 and her current rank as IG.
Kidney Racket Investigation Brought Early Attention
During her early career in Uttar Pradesh, Saini was associated with the investigation into the Amit Kumar kidney-racket case, an illegal kidney-transplant network that came to light in the mid-2000s.
Reports have credited her role in pursuing the investigation while she was serving as an ASP in Moradabad. The investigation involved coordination with other police units and eventually came under the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The case became one of the episodes that brought wider public attention to Saini’s policing career.
First Woman SSP of Lucknow
Saini went on to serve as SSP in several Uttar Pradesh districts, including Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Allahabad and Meerut.
In 2016, she became the first woman to head Lucknow police as SSP, according to multiple reports. Her subsequent career included assignments outside regular district policing as well.
She served on central deputation, including as a Deputy Inspector General with the National Security Guard (NSG) and at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Gallantry Medal for 2017 Doctor Rescue
One of the defining episodes of Saini’s career came in July 2017, when Delhi-based doctor Dr Srikant Goud was kidnapped and held for ransom.
The official Gazette citation records that Saini was serving as SSP Meerut, while Prashant Kumar was ADG, Meerut Zone. After receiving information about the doctor’s captivity, the police teams moved to a location in Shatabdi Nagar, Meerut.
The official gallantry citation states that the police team came under fire from the kidnappers but continued the operation. Four kidnappers — identified in the citation as Pramod, Amit, Nepal and Sohanvir — were arrested with illegal firearms, and the kidnapped doctor was rescued.
The operation took place on July 19, 2017. The President later approved the Medal for Gallantry for Saini and Prashant Kumar in recognition of their conduct during the rescue operation. The award was conferred in 2024.
Current Posting in UP Police
Saini returned to the Uttar Pradesh Police after her central deputation and was posted as IG/Vigilance, Lucknow, in February 2024. The UP Police database currently lists her as an IG and records the Medal for Gallantry (GM-26/01/2024) among her service decorations.
Her service recognitions also include the Medal for Meritorious Service, several Uttar Pradesh Police Director General’s Commendation Discs and the DG NSG’s Commendation Disc.
