Madhukar Zende recalls decades of Mumbai’s toughest criminal cases

“The main principle is that no police officer can succeed without the support of the people. For every police officer, compassion is the most important quality of all,” said retired police officer Madhukar Zende, now 88, known for cracking some of Mumbai’s most complex cases.

In conversation with The Hindu Sports Editor K.C. Vijaya Kumar, Mr. Zende recounted some riveting moments from his long-celebrated career at the ‘Supercop!’ session, many of which he has also captured in his memoir Mumbai’s Most Wanted. He said the book remains an absolute truthful account on his experiences. The audience was on the edge of their seats when Mr. Zende opened the conversation recalling how he captured the serial killer Charles Sobhraj twice; first in 1971 and again 1986. He said this was only a small part of the many cases he cracked during his 37-year career as a Mumbai police officer.

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Recounting the many eerie incidents in his career, when Mr. Vijaya Kumar asked how he braved such cases, Mr. Zende said he never had an iota of fear. “When you take up the job of a policeman, you have to face all difficulties. You just need to do your part,” he said.

Cracking major cases

From cracking the Shantha Devi murder in a Mumbai train with tips from convicted felons to dealing with the communal riots that broke out in Mumbai in 1993, Mr. Zende also shared personal anecdotes from some of the toughest cases. “I strongly believe in the theory of evolution. Every new generation is bound to be better than the old generation, so I hope new policemen will be better than the old policemen,” the retired officer added. He also spoke about how ignorance of law is no excuse, that reformation does not happen suddenly in adults, and that values must be strictly inculcated in children from their school years.

“All of my experiences as a police officer were never discussed once I reached home. My family read about the work I had done only through the newspapers,” he said, responding to a question from the audience about how he managed both work and home life. “Ultimately, you do good work and people will appreciate and respect you,” he said.

Mr. Zende ended the session by reminiscing about whom he looked up to during his career, saying that Julio Ribeiro, a retired police officer, was someone he always regarded as a mentor.

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