Daya Nayak gets upmarket posting, finally

After a brief stint with the Local Arms Division of the city police, considered to be a side posting, encounter specialist Daya Nayak was transferred to the west region on Tuesday.

The west region (from Bandra to Andheri) is considered to be one of the most upmarket zone in the city. The move, said police sources, is a hint that sub-inspector Nayak could be used in active policing in future.

According to sources in the police department, an order was issued on Tuesday stating that Nayak has been transferred to the west region police control at Bandra (W) in Worli. Although Nayak has been transferred, he has not been promoted. “Nayak has earlier worked in the west region and has a good network of informants there,” said a senior police officer from the west region.

Nayak was reinstated in June, six and a half years after he was suspended from service in January 2006. Around seven years ago, Nayak opened a school in Karnataka constructed at a cost of Rs1crore, which ACB officials alleged were from the proceeds of corruption. Nayak refuted the charge that he had donated Rs1crore to this school, and submitted a list of donors in an inquiry. The prosecution claimed that some of the donors’ names are fake. He was arrested by Maharashtra ACB.

In October 2009, the then director-general of police SS Virk had denied permission to prosecute Nayak and cleared him of all charges. “Subsequently, the magistrate was informed that the case does not stand against Nayak. So, he became eligible for reinstatement,” said a police officer. Nayak was unavailable for comment.