IPS officers behind major investigations, policing reforms take charge of key posts in Telangana

HYDERABAD The latest reshuffle of senior IPS officers in Telangana has thrown light on some decorated police officials whose careers have been shaped by some of the State’s most closely-watched investigations, anti-Maoist operations, women’s safety initiatives and major policing reforms. Among them are an officer who led the investigation into the sensational Tollywood drugs case, the architect of SHE Teams, an officer who handled the EAMCET question paper leak probe and a former Cyberabad Police top cop associated with the investigation into the Disha case.

At the centre of the reshuffle is Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, who takes over as Hyderabad Police Commissioner. A 1995-batch IPS officer, Bhagwat has spent much of his career tackling human trafficking and organised exploitation.

During his tenure as Commissioner of Police, Rachakonda, he led efforts to rescue trafficking victims and dismantle networks involved in their exploitation. His work earned him recognition from the US Department of State, which named him a Trafficking in Persons Report Hero in 2017.