Had to think like him to catch dreaded criminal, says IPS officer who wrote ‘Bihar Diaries’

By Archana Sharma

Jaipur, July 27 (IANS) Senior IPS officer Amit Lodha is a strong votary of the saying that 'you set a thief to catch a thief'. And to outwit and catch a notorious outlaw, you have to think like him, he says.

Lodha is presently courting fame by penning 'Bihar Diaries', which tells the story of how Bihar's most dreadful criminal (named antagonist Vijay Samrat in the book) was arrested due to Lodha's courage and perseverance while he was posted in Bihar as a Superintendent of Police.

"The dreaded criminal tried all ways and means to pressurise me -- he kept an eye on my son's daily schedule as well as my own. I have mentioned this in the book to make people understand the professional hazards policemen face on a daily basis," the officer currently posted as Border Security Force DIG in Jaisalmer told IANS.

"Having a huge fan following and strong political connections, he made me think like a criminal since I wanted to outsmart and outwit him. I also followed Chanakya's well-known principle of 'Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed'(using thought, money, punishment and weakness) and promised myself that I will nab this criminal one day."

Although Lodha doesn't name the dreaded gangster, because of threats to his family, media reports say it was Pintu Mahto (part of Ashok Mahto gang) who was also responsible for the murder of Congress MP, Rajo Singh.

The criminal was finally ensnared and was handed out a life term by court, with his criminal record in Tihar Central Jail dubbed "dreadful". The criminal was notorious for extortions, kidnappings and murders.

"The decision to catch this criminal was like inviting a lot of risk to my career as well, because the world is constantly looking for scapegoats if something goes wrong. Although there were risks, those were beautiful days," the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi passout said.

Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey is willing to produce a movie based on the book, the officer said, adding thet the concept and the contract was ready. "Bahubali actor Rana Daggubati is keen to play the role."

Lodha said that he was thankful to Bollywood actor Imraan Hashmi, who after listening to his experiences, called up publication house Penguin, which in turn contacted him to pen down his experiences.

"Hashmi, in fact, helped me meet author S. Hussain Zaidi, who in turn inspired me to write down my encounter with such dreadful criminals," the police officer said.

"The book is not only a police-chases-criminal stuff. It is a thriller with a lot of humour thrown in. I have tried to show how normal, routine events can be twisted into something funny," the tough cop signed off with a smile.

(Archana Sharma can be contacted at arachana.g@gmail.com)