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Shri Pradip Sawant is one of the prestigious and esteemed police officers in Mumbai police. He is serving Mumbai, Maharashtra police since 1986 and has handled quite renowned and serious shootout, robbery and dacoit cases. In this tenure, he launched a number of operations against gangsters and robberies. He was also responsible for detecting the number of serious shootout cases and has the seizure of the huge cache of sophisticated arms and ammunition and cases of robberies and dacoits. In the year 2000, he got promoted to the rank Deputy Commissioner of Police and specially handpicked and posted as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) in crime branch. He is currently serving Mumbai Police as the DCP security branch and based out in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Early Life
Pradip Sawant is Police Officer serving Maharashtra Police since 1986. He is currently posted as DCP – Mumbai Police Security Branch. He was born in Thane on 25th Jan 1962. His mother and Father reside in Ghatkopar, Mumbai. His Father is a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police and his mother is a housewife. He got married in the year 1987 and his wife is a Nutritionist and Naturopathy Doctor, practicing in Mumbai. He is a father of two sons. The elder one is 29 years and the younger one is 26 years.

Career Biography
His major schooling is done in Mumbai and Thane. He did his B.Sc. (Chemistry) from Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai University. Later he did his Law from South Mumbai, while this he got selected in Maharashtra Public Service Commission(MPSC) and then joined the Police force.

He is currently serving as Deputy Commissioner of Police, Security Branch, Mumbai Since May 2017. He started his Police career in June 1986 as Direct Deputy Superintendent of police. During his tenure, he has served Mumbai Police with many high profile cases and has been part of the encounter teams too. His leadership qualities and strong willpower led him to many prestigious posts in Mumbai Police. During his tenure, he has also launched several operations and drives against gangsters and many other high profile criminals.

Professional Career & Deputations

 * Probationary Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thane Rural, District – 1987 – 1988)
 * Deputy Superintendent of Police, Latur Sub Division, Latur – 1988 – 1989
 * Deputy Superintendent of Police, Alibag Sub Division, Raigad District – 1989 – 1991
 * Deputation to ONGC, Mumbai as Jt. Director Vigilance – 1991 – 1996
 * Additional. Deputy Commissioner, C.I.D. Intelligence Mumbai – 1996– 1997
 * Assistant. Commissioner of Police, Byculla Division, Mumbai – 1997 – 1998
 * Assistant. Commissioner of Police, D-1 South, Detection Crime Branch, Mumbai – 1988 – 2000
 * Deputy Commissioner of Police, Detection, Crime Branch, Mumbai – 2000 – 2003
 * Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Branch, Mumbai – 2003 – 2004
 * Deputy Commissioner of Police, Anti-Terrorism Squad, Mumbai – 2009 – 2015
 * Deputy Commissioner of Police, HQ 1, Licencing, Mumbai – 2015 – 2017
 * Deputy Commissioner of Police, Security, Mumbai – Since May 2017

Successive Police Career
When he started his professional career in 1986, he was selected as a direct Dy. Superintendent of Police. Later on the successful completion of the training at the Police Training College Nasik, he stood first in this batch. Once his probation period was done, he was posted to Latur as Sub Divisional Police Officer. Further in March 1989, he was posted to Alibag, Raigad, the most politically sensitive district in the state of Maharashtra, on the request of the Superintendent of Police, Raigad. In June 1991, Pradip Sawant was selected on deputation to ONGC as Jt. Director (Vigilance) where he was closely associated with many important and sensitive enquiries and investigations against the ONGC officials, conducted by the C.B.I.

He was posted to the state C.I.D. (Intelligence), Mumbai, as Additional. Deputy, Commissioner of Police and was assigned to the political wing, where he served till May 1997. Later in May 1997 he was transferred to Mumbai Commissioner Rate and was posted as Assistant. Commissioner of Police, Byculla Division, which is considered to be a communally sensitive area. He is a vigilant police officer whose leadership qualities let to the detection of many serious and sensational cases of murder, dacoity, and robbery and shoot out. In 1998, he was behind to trace the case of dacoity at Kothari Jewellers, Gamdevi; he arrested all the dacoits concerned in the case and recovered looted jewellery worth Rs. 29 lakhs. This was a great achievement earned by him that made him get the most coveted “Best Detection of the Year award for the year 1998.

In March 1998, because of his sheer dedication and capabilities of detecting important sensational and clueless cases, the Commissioner of Police Shri R.H. Mendonca, selected and posted him as A.C.P. – D-1.South in Detection Crime Branch, Mumbai in detection crime branch, Mumbai. It was one of the most prestigious posts for him at that time. Another reason this was a great event is that, for the first time in the history of Mumbai Police, a young, direct A.C.P was preferred over other highly experienced officers for this post. By then, Mumbai has seen infested with activities of organised crime syndicates (Mafia) of many different gangs. But by the virtue of his posting in detection crime branch, Pradip Sawant readily accepted the challenge of controlling the activities of the differently organized crime syndicates.

Few outstanding achievements and cases handled by Pradip Sawant in chronological order below
Pradip Sawant has detected the most sensitive murder case of late Shri Bharat Shah Owner of Roopam chain stores who was shot dead by Dawood Gang. He was responsible for launching a special operation in which huge quantity of arms and ammunition including 10 AK-50 Rifles, 51 Magazines, 110 hand grenade and 300 live ammunition were seized in March 1998. He was the man responsible for arresting all for attempted murder on Shri Milind Vaidya, ex-Mayor of Mumbai in March 1999. In the attack, 3 people were killed and 7 others including Shri Milind Vaidya seriously injured. Pradip Sawant not only arrested all the 9 gangsters affiliated to Chhota Shakeel ( Dawood gang) but also recovered AK-56 rifle, 9 m.m. pistol and ammunition used in the commission of the offence. These gangsters were booked under a newly enacted Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. 1999 (mcoca) on Sept 2000. In the landmark judgement as the special court sentenced three gangsters to death, one to life imprisonment and the two ordered for Rigorous Imprisonment (R.I.) for 10 years and collectively fined to the tune of Rs. 1.5 crore. For this outstanding work and maximum conviction, he was awarded Deepak Jog Memorial Trophy for the Best Detention for the year in 1999.

In April 1999 he arrested one Peter John D’souza of Chhota Rajan gang and seized 2 AK – 56 rifles one sten gun, one 38 revolvers 6 magazines 126 live rounds and 31 empties. Later in a special operation in the same year, 4 is agents viz – Abdul Samad, Vali Mohs. Hingore, Mohd. Shannawas, Mohd. Faiyaz, Imtiyaz Razak Dalal and Afzal Dawood Darvesh concerned in an Espionage case, were arrested and detained under the national security act considering the national security – the investigation was later transferred to CBI.

In 1999 a special operation was launched by Pradip Sawant resulted in the seizures of 2 AK-56 rifles, 7 star pistols of 9 m.m. bore, 9 rossy, 32 revolvers, 173 rounds of AK-56 rifles, 245 rounds of 9m.m., 171 rounds of 32 revolver and magazines, connected in truck tyre in Khar, Mumbai sent from Gujarat.

During the last week of December in 1999 Indian airlines flight No IC 814 was hijacked from Kathmandu Nepal Pradip Sawant meticulously worked out the input and arrested – Rafiq Mohd., Abdul Latif Adam Momin – the main operator of Harkat-Ul-Ansar and Mushtaq Ahmed Azmi from Behram Baug, Jogeshwari and 2 AK-56 rifles, 5 hand grenades, 4 anti-tank TNT shells, huge quantity of ammunition and IEDs were seized. One more associate Gopal Bhimbahadur Mann and his wife were arrested their interrogation revealed that they were terrorists belonging to the banned outfit viz. Harkar-Ul-Ansar and that they were connected with the hijacking of the Indian airlines. During his tenure in crime branch, Pradip Sawant initiated a number of drives which resulted in arresting 667 gangsters out of which 283 were from Dawood gang. His team succeeded in nabbing 51 terrorists including ISI agents.

In the special operations, gangsters from different gangs were killed in the exchange of fire with police. During the three years in crime branch due to sheer hard work and meticulous intelligence network Pradip Sawant has been responsible for the seizure of 15 AK – 56 rifles, 1 carbine, 52 foreign made revolvers, 40 foreign made pistols 41 countries made katas 4610, live cartridges, 95 magazines 110 hand grenades and 10 country-made bombs. In a separate operation under him, 15 illegal telephone exchanges have been identified and the operators have been booked under various sections of law.

In 2003 March in a well-planned operation launched at Goregaon three Lashkar-E-Toiba operatives involved in a bomb blast occurred in a local train at Mulund railway station on December 2002 died in an exchange of fire 1 AK-56, 2 short weapons, Rs 4 lakh in cash and some incriminating documents were seized. He was also responsible for arrested ex-SIMI general secretary Saquib Nachan and 22 others involved in the bomb blasts which occurred during 2002 – 03 in a local train at Mulund railway station, Best Bus at Ghatkopar, McDonald's at Mumbai central railway station and seized 3 AK-56 250 handmade hand grenades short weapons ammunition and huge stock of chemical substances used for preparing bombs.

The twin bomb blasts at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazar on 25th August 2003 had created havoc in which more than 50 persons died and several were seriously injured. The terrorist had posed serious threats to the safety Mumbai. In a span of 6 days one Mohd. Hanif, his wife Femida daughter Farheen and one Ishrat were arrested for their involvement in these bomb blasts and also in a bomb blast in the best bus at Ghatkopar. In a subsequent operation, their mentor Nasir and his associates were eliminated in an operation at Shivaji Park on September 2003 and a huge stock of gelatine sticks, detonators and timer clocks were seized from his residence at Mira road.

Pradip Sawant was later posted as DCP of anti-terrorist squad Mumbai in July 2009 and was continued and posted in ATS till May 2015 i.e. for six years where he has successfully detected and supervised the investigations of many terror-related cases. He had associated with the investigations related to Devid Headly, German Bakery Blast of 2010, Zaveri Bazar, opera house, Dadar blast of 2011 and Bomb Blast at Pune in 2014. He was also associated with investigations of many hard core terrorists including Indian mujahidin chief operators Yasin Bhatkal, Wakas, Azrudulla etc. He was associated with sensational trial cases of terror-related offences.

Awards & Recognition
He was awarded President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service on 15th August 2002. He is also a proud owner of The Deepak Jog Memorial Trophy for the Best Detention for the year in 2000. Insignia Awarded by Director General of Police, M.S. for the Outstanding Work, 1999.

In Popular Culture
Film named Sarfarosh, starring Actor Amir Khan, which was released in 1999 is said to be based on Pradip Sawant’s more than 300 encounters in the city during his stint as deputy commissioner of police (crime) between the years 2000 and 2003. Often the character of Ajay Singh Rathod, which Aamir Khan plays in the film Sarfarosh is closely associated with Pradip Sawant. The name today still gets stuck and is referred to as apna Rathod.