Maharashtra’s additional director general of police Himanshu Roy, credited with directing investigations into several sensational crimes and high-profile cases, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head here yesterday afternoon.
Often referred to as ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger’ of Mumbai Police, the 54-year-old Roy shot himself in the mouth with his service revolver at his house in Suniti Apartments at Nariman Point shortly after 1pm, a police statement said.
He was rushed to the Bombay Hospital by family members and aides where he was declared dead. A suicide note found in the house quoted Roy as saying that he was taking his life because he was tired of the cancer he had been battling for some time.
Roy’s suicide shocked the police community.
A ‘Mumbai boy’, Roy studied at the prestigious St. Xaviers College and became a chartered accountant. He cleared the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exams to become an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1988 batch.
During his preparations for the UPSC exams in Mumbai, he met his future wife Bhawna, who subsequently became an IAS officer but quit the civil services to devote herself to social work through NGOs in Maharashtra.
A regular gym trainer and fitness enthusiast, Roy would animatedly discuss healthy lifestyle, his fitness regime, diets and related issues with policemen and journalists.
He was popular among his juniors and would regularly guide them on the finer aspects of crime investigation, linking evidence with criminals and presenting a winning case in courts.
Roy started his police career as superintendent of police (rural) in Nashik and Ahmednagar. Later, he headed the economic offences wing in Mumbai, was deputy commissioner of police (Traffic) and also headed the cybercrime cell.