From civil engineering to catching Bihar's most dangerous criminals
In short: Amit Lodha's career path was anything but linear. After graduating from IIT Delhi with a degree in civil engineering, he pivoted toward public service, eventually becoming a prominent Indian Police Service officer whose life stories inspired a Netflix crime drama.
Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on 22 February 1974, Lodha graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 1995 with a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering. Though his academic interests initially diverged from his later career, he eventually transitioned into law enforcement, joining the Indian Police Service in 1998 as part of the Bihar cadre.
Lodha's career is marked by high-stakes assignments, including serving as Superintendent of Police in Sheikhpura, Bihar. During this tenure, he led operations against organized criminal groups, most notably the pursuit of the Ashok Mahto gang. This period of intense investigation and intelligence gathering became the foundation for his 2018 book, Bihar Diaries.
His professional journey has included serving as an Inspector General in the Border Security Force (BSF) and holding the rank of Additional Director General of Police. In 2026, IIT Delhi recognized his contributions to public service with its Distinguished Alumni Award. However, his career has also faced legal scrutiny; in 2022, the Bihar Special Vigilance Unit registered a case involving allegations of disproportionate assets related to the commercial rights of his book. While the Patna High Court declined to quash the FIR in January 2024, the court noted that the investigation's continuation did not constitute a finding of guilt.
Beyond his policing duties, Lodha has authored 'Life in the Uniform', which details his transition from engineering to the civil services. His experiences have also reached a global audience through the 2022 Netflix series Khakee: The Bihar Chapter, which was inspired by his written accounts of policing in Bihar.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Amit Lodha
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