IPS officer Chhaya Sharma who cracked Nirbhaya case in 72 hours and probed heist, fraud cases is now a key officer in Delhi EOW
New Delhi, December 14
The recent reshuffle in the Delhi Police has brought in Delhi Police’s super cop officer Chhaya Sharma back in the national capital as she would be now holding key role in the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
Chhaya Sharma has been posted as the Jt Commisisoner of Police (EOW).
IPS Chhaya Sharma is the name synonymous with courageous, agile and accurate investigation in the country’s rarest of the rare cases-Nirbhaya rape case.
It was Chhaya Sharma’s able leadership and round the clock in the Nirbhaya rape case where the accused were identified, traced and held within three days of the incident.
In 18 days a charge sheet was filed and finally 6 years later the judiciary of the country convicted all the perpetrators.
A 1999 batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre, Chhaya Sharma was the DCP South District when the fateful incident took place in 2012.
Sharma’s trail for the criminals began with a call in the middle of the night about two estranged bodies lying stark naked on the side of a road in Munirka.
It was not an easy job for Sharma and her tam to trace the perpetrators but the relentless work of police team helped the head of the investigation IPS Sharma.
The police started with identifying the “white bus” with from recordings made by a highway CCTVs and after getting a description of the bus began searching for the vehicle. The private bus operators across the city were in the radar as some among them helped police identify the bus operator was from South Delhi private school.
The tracing of the bus led them on to the accused Ram Singh, the driver while the sketches obtained through the description given by Nirbhaya’s male friend who was assaulted by the convicts, helped identity the other men.
Sharma’s team then arrested Ram Singh, the bus driver, and Mukesh Singh, his brother, who were both arrested in Rajasthan. Vinay Sharma, an assistant gym instructor, and Pawan Gupta, a fruit seller, were both arrested in UP and Bihar. A 17-year-old juvenile from Badayun, Uttar Pradesh was arrested at the Anand Vihar terminal in Delhi.
The convicts were partying in the same bus which was not allowed in the limits of Delhi and supposed to be driven only on weekdays. The same men had looted a man off his cash and mobile phone before stopping the bus was stopped by Nirbhaya and her male friend who boarded the bus from Munirka to go to Dwarka.
The gang rape and assault on Nirbhaya had sent chills down the spine of every countryman who demanded justice for India’s daughter.
DCP Chhaya Sharma’s resolve to arrest the accused within 72 hours was the first step to success in nailing down the culprits, which later turned into a movement to change laws in the country and bring provisions, funds and more to ensure protection of women becomes the police and Centre’s top priority. It was DCP Sharma to whom, Nirbhaya’s mother had entrusted the responsblity and told her, “Madam, unhe choddna nahi” (Do not spare them).
Many of the citizens know that IPS officer Chhaya Sharma's character was played by actress Shefali Shah in the popular web series 'Delhi Crime' portraying the relentless and commendable work of Sharma in the Nirbhaya gangrape case investigation.
Soon after working on the Nirbhaya case, Sharma moved on central deputation. She was on deputation for last years and returned to her parent cadre this month.
Sharma has served as the DIG in National human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Central Vigilance Department. After having cracked such an important case in the country, Sharma has spent eight years away from media glare.
Sharma was serving as the Director in the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Delhi, under the Central Staffing Scheme.
During the appointment, the Centre had notified that she will hold the post up to July 26, 2022, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. Her name was recommended for Central deputation by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The CVC is an apex governmental body created to address governmental corruption. It is to be noted that not just the Nirbhaya gangrape case but Sharma investigated two high profile economic fraud cases. IPS Sharma had investigated the PNL Nidhi Chennai scam and the Delhi Defence Colony bank van heist, among other cases.
With her return back to the Delhi Police and this time in the EOW, the Delhi Police more to reasons to shine again.
The Delhi Police EOW has been investigating some of the country’s big cases of financial frauds, ponzi schemes, land pooling scams with a huge gamut of cases-DDA land poling, society frauds (Amrapali Group, Rudra Welfare, Dwarka Aerocity, Revanta multi state CGHS ltd.), corporate frauds (Lakshmi Vilas Bank, IL&Fs Rail Fraud, Bike Boat fraud, Cine Mirchi productions, etc). Other cases of multi mortgage frauds, loan frauds, NBFC fraud, share trading fraud and property fraud. The EOW has big fishes in their net too.
The EOW last year witnessed 67 builder related frauds, 20 DDA land pooling frauds, 39 intercompany business fraud, 31 multi-mortgage of Property Frauds, 20 ponzi schemes/chit fund frauds, 18 bank/NBFC frauds and 17 co-operative group housing frauds.
Sharma is an Economics (Honours) graduate from University of Delhi. She is a 1999-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of AGMUT cadre.
She is also the first Indian police officer to receive the McCain Award for Courage and Leadership in solving humanitarian and societal issues from the Arizona State University, US.
