‘Controversial’ IPS officer Amitabh Gupta is Pune’s new police commissioner

Embroiled in a controversy for granting written permission to the Wadhawans for travel during a nationwide lockdown in April, IPS officer Amitabh Gupta has been appointed as Pune’s new police commissioner. He was the principal secretary with the state home department.

During lockdown imposed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, he gave a letter to the Wadhawans, whom he described as “family friends”, to move to their farmhouse in Mahabaleshwar from a guest house in Khandala. The Wadhwans are named as accused in the PMC Bank fraud case. After the matter came to light, the state government sent him on compulsory leave and ordered a probe in the matter, but he resumed duty after a few days. Gupta is a 1992-batch IPS officer.

Outgoing Pune Police Commissioner K Venkatesham has been transferred to Mumbai as additional director general of police (special operations). Also, Abhinav Deshmukh has been appointed as superintendent of police for Pune Rural Police. An order in this regard was passed on Thursday by the state home department.