Celebs Mourns The Death of the former ATS chief and senior IPS officer Himanshu Roy 

Ravi Kishan:

Very sad news super hero cop Himanshu Roy no more may his soul rest in peace. Jai Hind.Ashoke Pandit: Himanshu Roy you were the Dabangg of Mumbai Police… The news of your suicide is heart breaking. You gave strength and confidence to the city of Mumbai in your lifetime. Mumbai will miss you forever… May you find peace in your second innings and be the Dabangg that you always were.

Having started his career at the communally sensitive town of Malegaon in north Maharashtra in 1991, Roy had handled the post-Babri Masjid demolition riots.  He had gone on to serve as the Superintendent of Police in Nashik and Ahmednagar, before being posted as Deputy Commissioner of Police of Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing.

During his career, Roy had handed several sensitive and high-profile cases, including the spot-fixing scandal involving the accused were Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team principal Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of former BCCI chief N Srinivasan and wrestler-turned-actor late Dara Singh’s son Vindoo Dara Singh and the shocking murder of lawyer of  Pallavi Purkayastha, daughter of a senior New Delhi-based IAS officer Atanu Purkayastha.

As Crime Branch chief, Roy oversaw and cracked quickest possible time the sensational murder of journalist-writer J Dey, who was gunned down by a group of motorbike-riding gangsters at Powai in north-east Mumbai on June 11, 2011. Earlier this month, one accused, including Chhota Rajan alias Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, were handed life imprisonment in the J Dey murder case.

So much so that while mourning the death of Roy, then Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik heaped praise on the late IPS officer, saying the entire credit of cracking the J Dey murder case went to Roy.

A fitness freak, he was tall, well-built and handsome and often known as ‘Body Builder’ and compared with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

During private conversations, he would speak of fitness, his regime, diet and supplements.

Incidentally, the then State Home Minister R R Patilo had specially entrusted Roy with the task of the shifting of 26/11 death row convict Mohammed Ajmal Kasab from the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai to Yerawada jail in Pune in the run-up to the latter’s execution at the Pune jail.

Another major case that Roy had cracked was the sensational murder of small-time Bollywood actress Laila Khan and five members of her family at their farm house in Igatpuri.

He arrested Vijay Palande, a man involved in four murders, including that of TV producer Karan Kakkad and Arunkumar Tikku, father of actor Anuj Tikku, the double murder of airport union leader Anup Das and his father, and another unknown person.

Another equally high-profile cases that he investigated were the much-discussed Shakti Mill gang rape case – in which a photojournalist, working for a Mumbai magazine, was gang-raped on the evening of August 22, 2013 by five men under the cover of tall grass and shrubs surrounding the dilapidated remains of the defunct mill compound at Mahalaxmi in south central Mumbai. He led the investigations into the 2012 riots at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

“Shocked to learn about Roy’s untimely passing. I would jokingly call him ‘Hercules Roy’ because of his overawing athletic build. Only recently, I messaged him to enquire about his health. He was a capable IPS officer & will be missed. May his soul rest in peace,” former MP and Congress leader Milind Deora tweeted.

A typical ‘Bombay Boy’ , he was an alumnus of St Xavier College. What gave him edge over his peers in the police department in handling economic offences was that he was a chartered accountant by qualification. He was equally good at solving cyber crimes and he had a key role to play in the setting up the cyber crime cell in the Mumbai police.

Mourning Roy’s death, Mumbai’s former police Commissioner MN Roy said, “Roy’s passing away is a big loss for police, the Government and society. He [Roy] was a bright officer. It’s very sad that young officer like him had to shoot himself.  Here I would like stress this point that the police officer who do the field jobs face tremendous pressure. They need to be proper rest by the government. The authorities should think about this seriously”.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis mourned the shocking suicide by Roy. “Roy was a dedicated police officer. He was an asset for the police force.  Roy was known for his remarkable investigation skills.  He distinguished himself with his outstanding work while serving various positions during his illustrious career.  His demise is a great loss for the State police force,” Rao said.“In the shocking suicide of Roy, we have lost an efficient officer who cracked many high profile cases,” Fadnavis said.