Amit Lodha is a 1998-batch Indian Police Service officer of the Bihar cadre. He is known for nabbing the infamous gangster Ashok Mahto (known as the Gabbar Singh of Sheikhpura) and his accomplice Pintu Mahto. A web series based on his life titled Khakee: The Bihar Chapter was released on Netflix on 25 November 2022.
Wiki/Biography
Amit Lodha was born on Friday, 22 February 1974 (age 48 years; as of 2022) in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. His zodiac sign is Pisces. He grew up in Jaipur, Rajasthan, where his father was serving as a doctor at Sawai Mansingh Hospital. Amit did his schooling at St. Xavier’s School, Jaipur. While growing up, Amit idolised civil servants as his maternal grandfather was an IAS officer. He enrolled himself at IIT Delhi (after cracking the entrance exam on his first attempt) to pursue B. Tech.
Amit Lodha with his batchmates during his college days
As he joined IIT Delhi, he was ragged by seniors for around 15 days. Soon, he started fighting the ‘inferiority complex’ that overpowered him since he joined the IIT. In an interview, tagging his IIT journey as ‘terrible,’ Lodha said,
I failed at everything. I suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts. I thought I was the unluckiest person in the world. My grades were the worst, and my interpersonal relations poor. My friends liked me for the goodness of heart. But even they stayed away from me because I was quiet and perceived to be strange. Never invited to parties or the first choice for sharing rooms. I could never fit in.”
After pursuing his B. Tech, Amit decided to appear for the UPSC examination. In 1998, he passed the Civil Services examination, becoming an Indian Police Service officer of the Bihar cadre.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
Amit Lodha is the son of Narendra Lodha, a doctor. He has a younger brother.
Amit Lodha’s parents
Amit Lodha with his parents, brother, and wife
Wife & Children
In 1999, he tied the knot with Tanu Lodha. Together, the couple has two children, a daughter named Aishwarya and a son.
Amit Lodha with his wife
Amit Lodha with his parents, wife, and kids
Indian Police Service
After completing the Indian Police Service training, Amit Lodha was posted in Bihar as the Assistant Superintendent of Police. At that time, Bihar was struggling with rising crime rates – theft, kidnapping, and murders. People were fleeing the state in search of opportunities. Recalling that phase in an interview, Amit said,
Even elites like doctors, engineers, and businessmen were hesitant to visit Bihar. They were scared because nobody knew when they or any member of their family would get kidnapped or worse still, shot at.”
As an IPS officer, Amit solved several cases very easily. His way of working was liked by the people of Bihar, which made him a popular cop in that area. Beholding the image of a public servant in an appropriate manner, he asked people in his area to directly call on his landline number in case of any issues. In May 2006, around fifteen people were killed in Sheikhpura within two nights and police suspected it to be the work of the Gabbar Singh of Sheikhpura, Ashok Mahto, and his alliance Pintu Mahto. Amit was given the charge of the case. Talking about the situation in Sheikhpura, Amit said,
There was a war-like atmosphere in Sheikhpura. They had killed a sitting MLA and MP and a block development officer.”
Apparently, Ashok had around 30 cases of murder and kidnapping on him. He was also behind the infamous 2002 Nawada jailbreak. Amit, with his courage and smart thinking, hatched a foolproof plan to catch Ashok Mahto. He nabbed the gangster and his aide after a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across multiple states that lasted for around three months. The incident made him a national star. In an interview, while recalling the incident, he said,
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.”
Amit successfully arrested nine Naxalites in Rampur in 2008. He then served in various positions in the districts of Nalanda, Begusarai, Sheikhpura, Muzaffarpur and Gaya, which were known to be crime hotbeds. He served Bihar for around 14 years and went on a central deputation. In 2012, Amit was appointed as the Inspector General of the Police of Rajasthan Frontier of BSF, replacing Anil Paliwal. He also held an additional charge of the training centre there. He served there for around seven years and then returned to Bihar. To boost the potential of the youth in Bihar, Amit began several initiatives like Sambhav and Bharat Ke Veer.
Amit Lodha working on a case
Author
In 2018, Amit Lodha penned the book ‘Bihar Diaries: The True Story Of How Bihar’s Most Dangerous Criminal Was Caught.’ Published by Penguin Random House India, the book chronicles Amit’s stint in one of Bihar’s crime-dominated villages and how he managed to apprehend one of the most feared ganglords in Bihar, Ashok Mahto, notorious for extortion, kidnapping and the massacre of scores of people. The book was a national best-seller.
Amit Lodha signing his book Bihar Diaries
After the success of his first book, Lodha authored another book titled ‘Life In The Uniform: Adventures of an IPS Officer in Bihar.’
Amit Lodha signing his book Life in the Uniform
Controversy
Booked for Corruption and Criminal Conspiracy
In December 2022, Amit was charged for corruption and allegedly using his position for financial gains by the Bihar police. A complaint was filed against Lodha by the Economic Offences Wing of the Bihar Police which stated that Amit secured a monetary deal with the production house Friday Story Teller for Netflix’s series Khakee: The Bihar Chapter while he was serving as an IPS officer. According to the deal, Amit charged just Rs. 1. However, the police claimed that there was a transaction of Rs. 38.25 lakh in his wife’s account. Subsequently, he was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 120 (B) related to criminal conspiracy and 168 (public servant unlawfully engaging in trade). On 9 December 2022, he was suspended from his service.
Awards
- President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service
- Police Medal for Gallantry (2016)
Amit Lodha’s Medal
Favourites
Facts/Trivia
- Amit is often referred to as the ‘Super Cop’ for his distinguished services as an IAS officer. He is one of the most popular officers in Bihar.
- He likes to play Tennis and Squash in his leisure time.
- In his book Bihar Diaries, Amit shared an anecdote from the days when he was posted in Sheikhpura. He wrote,
A girl used to call me continuously and used to say that I like you very much, that girl’s name was Beauty Kumari. That girl told me that she wanted to meet and one day she brought her father. She came to my office. When I saw that girl, she was completely opposite to her name. After coming to my office, the girl sent her father out, so I was a little shocked and scared to hear this. After that the girl immediately jumped on the table and grabbed my hand and said I like you very much and I want to get married, I will talk to Didi (Amit Lodha’s wife). After this, I immediately called my security and called that girl very lovingly, madam-madam and sent her out.”
- In an interview, Amit revealed that he was a quiet and shy child and by looking at him no one could have ever imagined that he would don a Khakee uniform one day.
- During a media conversation, Lodha shared that while he was just a few days old, a fortune teller told his mother that he would make a huge name in the world of crime. He further said that his mother spent several years in fear that Amit would become a crime lord.
- In 2022, the Indian film director Neeraj Pandey conceptualised a web series titled Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, which was based on a chapter in Amit Lodha’s life (documented in Amit’s book named The Bihar Diaries). The web series was released on 25 November 2022 on Netflix. While the Indian actor Karan Tacker played Amit’s character, Avinash Tiwary essayed the role of a gangster in the series. Apparently, Lodha’s story was earlier supposed to be depicted in a film made by Neeraj Pandey with Akshay Kumar playing Lodha’s character.
Karan Tacker as Amit Lodha in Netflix’s web series Khakee- The Bihar Chapter
- During a media conversation, When Amit was asked to comment on the web series ‘Khakee: The Bihar Chapter,’ he said,
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.”