Why Bihar IPS officer Amit Lodha is being investigated following a web series on Netflix?

Cops, corruption, and controversy are all closely related. A senior IPS officer from the Bihar cadre is no exception.

 

Amit Lodha, an IPS officer and the IG of Magadh, has been charged with corruption by the Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) of Bihar.

 

In addition to his claimed commercial deals with OTT platform Netflix for a webseries, the senior police officer has been involved in a case involving financial embezzlement.

 

After the web series ‘Khakee: The Bihar Chapter,’ Lodha gained notoriety. The webseries is said to have been inspired by his book ‘Bihar Diaries.’ The policeman is charged with manipulating his position for personal advantage.

 

‘Amit Lodha, an officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS), assigned as Magadh IG, is being investigated for suspected financial mismanagement, negotiating arrangements with Netflix and production house ‘Friday Story Teller’ for commercial profits while in service,’ reads the FIR from Special Vigilance Unit (SVU).

 

The SVU added that a FIR had been registered against IPS Amit Lodha following an initial investigation into the charges against him. The statement from SVU read, ‘The IPS officer is not an established story writer nor was he authorised to publish a book and utilise it for commercial purposes.’

 

On December 7, the Special Vigilance Unit submitted the FIR. Lodha has been charged with violating the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 168, 120B (criminal conspiracy), and the Prevention of Corruption Act (IPC). A police officer at the Superintendent of Police (SP) level would handle the investigation into Lodha.

 

Similar to this, Gaya SSP Aditya Kumar was suspended on October 18 as a result of a disproportionate assets (DA) case against him. SVU raided his locations in Patna, Ghaziabad, and Meerut.

 

When Amit Lodha was appointed Magadh IG, Aditya was appointed Gaya SSP. The two cops’ altercation brought the state police a lot of bad press.