Mumbai’s famed encounter specialist Daya Nayak wore the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) uniform for the very first time on Wednesday, just two days before his retirement from the force.
In a heartfelt post on X, Nayak shared an image in uniform with the caption, “Wearing the ACP uniform for the first time, just a day before hanging it up for good. After a lifetime in service, this moment carries a deep, quiet pride. It may have come at the very end, but it feels like a full-circle blessing—an honour that marks not just a promotion, but a lifetime of duty, discipline, and dedication. Grateful for every step of the journey, and for the privilege of serving my state and country. Jai Hind. Jai Maharashtra.”
Nayak, who led Unit 9 of the Mumbai Crime Branch, was among four senior inspectors promoted to ACP rank ahead of their July 31 retirement. Known for eliminating 87 gangsters during his service, he was a household name in the late ’90s for his work in curbing the city’s underworld.
His life inspired Bollywood films like Ab Tak Chhappan and Department. Despite a controversial suspension in 2006 over disproportionate asset charges, later quashed by the Supreme Court, Nayak returned to duty in 2012 and continued solving high-profile cases.
His final years saw him investigating major incidents including the Antilia bomb scare and the Salman Khan firing case.
The last-minute promotion stands as a symbolic nod to a turbulent but dedicated career, one that ends not in silence, but with salutes.
