Who is Sanjay Shinde? Officer Involved in Badlapur Rape Accused Shooting

According to the police, the 23-year-old guy who was suspected of raping two nursery school children in Badlapur, Maharashtra, snatched a constable’s revolver and opened fire on a police officer. In the firing, Nilesh More, an assistant police inspector, was injured. Senior inspector Sanjay Shinde fired the final shot that took down Akshay. He died at the hospital. Constable Nilesh More, who also suffered injuries, is undergoing treatment. The Maharashtra government has formed a Special Investigation Team to probe the matter.

Who is Sanjay Shinde?

Sanjay Shinde is a police officer known for his involvement in high-profile cases in Maharashtra. He was part of a team led by Pradeep Sharma, a well-known ‘encounter specialist’ who has gained fame through the Netflix docuseries Mumbai Mafia: Police vs The Underworld. Shinde served as the chief of the anti-extortion cell in the Thane Crime Branch, working under Sharma’s leadership.

Key Achievements

This team was instrumental in arresting Iqbal Kaskar, the brother of notorious underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, in 2017 for an extortion case. Pradeep Sharma’s work has also been dramatized in the Marathi crime thriller Rege, where veteran actor Mahesh Manjrekar portrayed him. Additionally, author and journalist S. Hussain Zaidi’s book The Class of 83 explores the encounters conducted by Sharma and his team, providing insight into their operations.

Legal Issues

Earlier this year, Sharma was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Bombay High Court for the fake encounter of Ramnarayan Gupta, a suspected associate of gangster Chhota Rajan, which occurred in 2006.

Current Role

Currently, Sanjay Shinde is a member of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Maharashtra government to investigate the recent Badlapur rape case. He has faced scrutiny in the past, notably for an incident in 2012 when Vijay Palande, a suspect in two murder cases, escaped from police custody; his uniform was discovered in the vehicle used for the escape.

Additionally, Shinde has been involved in other controversies, including a 2012 incident where he was investigated for exchanging gunfire with another officer while under the influence of alcohol at a bar. In 2000, he was also scrutinized in a kidnapping case, which was resolved after a senior official interrogated him.

Overall, Sanjay Shinde’s career has been marked by both significant achievements in law enforcement and notable controversies.