In the late 90s and the early years of the 2000s in Bihar when crime and chaos ruled the state and every single incident that followed the reign needs to be told. The fragile state of law and order in Bihar had shaken the very foundation of peace and harmony in the society when criminals dictated the terms.
The story of the tussle between criminals and police personnel is no less than a classic film plot where many bend against the might of the kingpins of “Goonda Raj” backed by their political masters while there were a few who stood up the occasion, took the challenge and brought things into order.
And there was one such man that constituted the formidable portion of the latter part whose story of service and dedication to duty went on to inspire generations to follow and has been retold through the creative lens of Neeraj Pandey in his thrilling story titled ‘Khakee: The Bihar Chapter’ on the struggle of IPS Amit Lodha and his hunt for one of the most dreaded gangsters and his gang of the time.
But, for an IIT lad who aspired the life in administrative services gave everything he can for service to the nation, and besides being recognized as the “super cop” all these weren’t easy. A persistent threat to his personal life and that of his family always loomed over him, which is also mentioned in the records of Bihar Police’s special branch report.
After watching his story on Netflix, and reading several media reports you must be wondering where is he now and how is the world around him, well the answer to all of your ‘Wheres and Hows’, has been answered by him who was too generous to talk to us about his chase than and life at present.
Beginning from the start of the famous Mahato gang hunt:
After more than one and a half decades, Bihar got its new government in the 2005 assembly election and Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister who came in with a commitment to eradicating crime & criminals and restoring peace in the state.
In under a year of his government IPS, Amit Lodha was transferred to Sheikhpura from Nalanda which was grieving from the terror of the Mahato gang which shot down 15 people in the same village in 2006.
Reminiscing the tales of the time in his book ‘Bihar Diaries’ taking inspiration from which the Netflix series has made, IPS, Lodha writes, “To nab Ashok Mahto, I had to think like a criminal. What was he thinking? What would his next move be? I read his cases and studied how he committed crimes. And on 13 August, we arrested him.”
The arrest of Ashok and Pintu Mahto made IPS Lodha a household name in the district and eventually in the entire state. Pintu was wanted in 30 cases of murder and kidnapping and also had a hand in the infamous Nawada jailbreak of 2002. He and his accomplices killed two policemen while escaping. The famous case of the Mahato gang in which he nabbed the kingpin in just three months of his posting. Moreover, IPS Lodha went on to receive the prestigious gallantry award in 2008 in an operation nabbing 9 dreaded gangsters after the fierce encounter in the Begusarai district.
While talking, he recalls how the incumbent state government was resolute against the crime and provided a free hand to the police administration in acting against the gang lords and neutralizing them. In the course of his duty, IPS Lodha wasn’t interfered with by his fellow senior officials either.
But, had this been the case all throughout his diligent service of 24 years? The answer to this is certainly no. In what can be called a bizarre and unprecedented case in history, IPS Lodha was grilled and had to face inessential trouble.
And all this happened in the last six-eight months of his service. The story dates back to February 2022, when SSP Gaya Aditya Kumar got the charges over him relieved through Bihar Police DGP SK Singhal via his businessman friend Abhishek Agarwal by impersonating the Chief Justice of Bihar High Court.
It was the time when IPS Lodha was posted as IG Magadh range, SSP Aditya Kumar a corrupt police officer who was involved in the illegal liquor trade, IG Amit Lodha complaint against his fellow SSP but was unfortunately caught amidst legal trouble as things capsized against his favor.
He was not just transferred alongside SSP Gaya from his post but underwent inquiry against a commission established to investigate the charges. Months after suffering eventually, things came up as they were only a month back when the prime accused in the case Abhishek Agarwal confessed that it was done on the directions of SSP Aditya Kumar who managed to avert the arrest.
Anyone who has served impeccably all these years with absolute dignity and honor gets down to a state when he faces the wrath of his own department and the trouble that he must have faced is entirely unimaginable.
IPS Lodha who is currently serving as the IG State Crime Records Bureau, Bihar reminisces about the immense support he received all these years in collectively standing against eradicating crime in the region wherever he has been posted.
He says, “In the series, I might be portrayed as the hero but you see the involvement of every single policeman was equally essential in nabbing the criminal and putting things to order, I have always believed in teamwork and that has worked for me in the entire part of my service.”
He is overwhelmed with the kind of love and support he has received from the people of Bihar and his subordinate officers in the department.
God has been very kind to him IPS Lodha in all these challenging postings, highlighting that he is not religious although he believed there was something up there that always helped him out.
All these don't come in handy obviously there was a lot of hard work, dedication, and intelligence, but several people believe that this wouldn't have been possible without the almighty's blessing, a regard in which IPS Lodha has been very lucky as a police officer.