A commando trained in firearms use and Krav Maga, she was beaten to death by husband

After three months of rigorous training, Kajal was posted at the SWAT office in Greater Kailash.

“That’s why this [her death allegedly at the hands of her husband] is even more shocking. Not every officer gets selected for SWAT. It is a gruelling process. And she never mentioned any domestic issues to her team members or seniors,” a member of Kajal’s SWAT team told The Indian Express.

The SWAT unit was constituted in 2009 after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and was made part of the Special Cell. In 2018, an all-woman SWAT team was raised — one of the first such units in the country — which Kajal would later join.

The 200-plus SWAT personnel undergo training similar to that of the National Security Guard (NSG), India’s elite counter-terror force under the Union Home Ministry, officers said.

Commandos like Kajal are trained to use some of the most lethal weapons in the police arsenal — AK-47 assault rifles, MP5 submachine guns, and INSAS rifles — which the regular police do not typically use. Training in Krav Maga, the self-defence martial arts technique used by the Israel Defence Forces, is mandatory for SWAT personnel.

“What we are hearing now about her family life is completely different from what we knew of her. Her ambition, her drive, what we thought she would become — all stand in stark contrast to what has emerged,” a senior officer of the Special Cell said.