Meet Daya Nayak, Mumbai Police 'encounter specialist' promoted to ACP rank, he inspired THIS Bollywood film

Senior police inspector Daya Nayak, once known as an "encounter specialist," was on Tuesday promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). Nayak, who had joined the Mumbai Police in 1995 and is currently posted at the Bandra unit of the Crime Branch, rose to fame in the 1990s as one of the police officers who gunned down many gangsters in encounters. Nayak also served in the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and was part of the team which solved the case of the Ambani residence security scare and subsequent murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren in 2021.

What has Nayak's life been like?
Nayak, whose life story inspired the Nana Patekar-starrer Hindi film Ab Tak Chhappan (2004). He is known for having gunned down many gangsters linked to Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan. He is said to have been involved in more than 80 encounters. Nayak’s contributions as head of the key Unit-9 of the elite crime detection wing of the Mumbai Police have been crucial in cracking several major cases. He has also been part of investigations into some recent high-profile cases, including the firing at actor Salman Khan’s house by members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique, and the stabbing of actor Saif Ali Khan by an intruder.

Why was Nayak suspended from service?
In 2006, Nayak was suspended from police service for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. He was reinstated into the force five years later, in 2011. He was then posted at Mumbai's Amboli Police Station, and went on to nab several drug suppliers. He was later transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch.

(With inputs from news agency PTI).