Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI): Police sub-inspector and 'encounter specialist' Daya Nayak has been suspended from Maharashtra Police.
A government official told PTI that Daya Nayak has been suspended. He, however, declined to comment on what led to this development.
Nayak, who was reinstated in service in June 2012, was last year transferred to Nagpur, pending inquiries against him. However, he did not join duty there.
A 1995-batch police officer, Nayak was under suspension for nearly six-and-a-half years after the Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested him in 2006 following complaints by former journalist Ketan Tirodkar that he owned assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The ACB had also arrested his two friends, who lent their names to the transfer of his wealth.
In 2009, however, the then Director General of Police S S Virk had denied permission to prosecute Nayak in the case with a remark that there were insufficient grounds and cleared him of all charges.
In 2010, the Supreme Court quashed all the charges against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
He was reinstated in 2012 and posted in a local arms wing of the department. After a brief stint here, he was transferred to the west region (Bandra to Andheri), considered a high-profile zone in the city.
Nayak is known to have killed more than 80 gangsters in encounters, including Vinod Matkar, Rafik Dabba, Sadik Kalia and three Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives.
When contacted, Daya Nayak told PTI he was not aware of any such development."I have not received any such (suspension) order," Nayak said.
'Family safety' concern prompted Daya Nayak to spurn transfer
It has now emerged that the police officer had declined to join his new posting at Nagpur over concerns for "family's safety".
"He was transferred to Nagpur last year. He had conveyed to Maharashtra government and also the state DGP that he faced threat to life. He had also expressed apprehension that he could be singled out and killed," a senior police officer told PTI here today.
"However, neither the state government nor the police top brass took due cognisance of his submission and also of the fact that Daya and his family had security cover for nine years, from 1997 to 2006."
"Daya Nayak, who killed over 80 people in encounters, was of the view that he would be exposing himself and his family to his 'enemies', as the government had withdrawn the security cover."
"Daya had also apprehended that there was an attempt to 'corner him and finish him off' for the last few years. He was aware of central intelligence reports about threat to his life and that of his family," the police officer said.
"Despite the transfer order last year, Daya Nayak did not join the new posting as he felt protecting his family was his priority. He feels that while issuing the suspension order yesterday, no due procedure was followed. No show cause notice was issued to him to gauge the reason behind his not joining duty at Nagpur," he said.
"He had recovered 67 AK-47 assault rifles, besides killing so many dreaded gangsters in encounters. He was also given an AK-47 and a carbine for personal protection," the officer said.