Vijay Salaskar (1957-2008) was an Indian police officer and encounter expert who killed many criminals from the Mumbai underworld. He also revealed Gutka’s connections with the underworld. He died fighting terrorists in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
Wiki/Biography
Vijay Salaskar was born on Friday 5 April 1957 in Bombay, Maharashtra (age 51; time of death). His zodiac sign is Aries. He has been interested in the police force since childhood. He pursued his Masters in Commerce from Prahladrai Dalmia Lions College, Malad, Maharashtra. After graduation, he joined a shipping company as an administrator in 1983, earning a monthly salary of Rs 250. Later he joined New India Insurance Company; however, he did not like the job and took up the post of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) in 1983. He was selected and recruited by the Mumbai Police.
Vijay Salaskar plays with his daughter Divya as a child
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′10″
Weight (approximately): 75kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
He comes from a Marathi family.
Parents and siblings
His father is a professor. His mother’s name was Hemrata Saraskar. He is the eldest son among three siblings. He has a younger brother Dilip Saraskar.
Vijay Saraskar’s daughter Divya, Vijay Saraskar’s wife Smita, former Indian President Pratibha Patil, Vijay Saraskar’s mother Hemla Ta Saraskar and Vijay Saraskar’s brother Dilip Saraskar (from left to right)
wife and children
His wife’s name is Smita Salaskar and she is a housewife. He has only one daughter, Divya Salaskar, who runs a human resources and training consultancy in Mumbai.
Vijay Salaskar and wife Smita
Vijay Salaskar and his daughter Divya
Profession
After passing the MPSC examination, he underwent training at the Police Training Academy, Nashik in 1983 and joined the Mumbai Police as a police officer. He was on probation at Malad police station before being posted to MIDC police station. In his first year as a police officer, he shot dead wanted criminal Raju Shahabuddin during a fatal encounter. During his initial years with the Mumbai Police, he built a strong network of informants, due to which he was transferred to the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police. He is popular as an encounter expert and arch rival of underworld Don Arun Gawli, who operates from Dagdi Chawl in Byculla, Mumbai. At one point, he entered the cabin with his team and killed Don, who fled the scene, forcing Vijay to return empty-handed. In 1997, he killed two of Gauri’s close associates, Sardar Pal and Vijay Tandel, in an encounter that Arun claimed was fake. In September 2004, he exposed the links between gutka tycoons JM Joshi and Rasiklal Dhariwal and underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim. In his 25-year career, he killed around 75-80 criminals, including the killings of Amar Naik, Jaggu Shetty, Saadhu Shetty, Kundan Singh and Zahoor Makhanda. He was the head of the anti-extortion cell before his death in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Vijay Salaskar’s early years as a police officer
dispute
false encounter accusations
During Vijay Salaskar’s 25-year career, he was accused of numerous conflicts with his victims’ families and relatives; however, he was never found guilty. In 2007, Irrfan Hussain Irfat Hussain Shaikh of Govandi, Maharashtra, accused his eldest son Imran Irfan Shaikh of cheating on Vijay · Killed during an alleged fake conflict led by Saraska; however, he was unable to provide any conclusive evidence to support his accusations.
die
He was killed by terrorists in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. He was at home when he received a call from the department asking him to report to the office immediately. He along with Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) captain Hemant Karkare and Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte rushed to crack down on the police station reportedly located next to Azad Maidan Terrorists near the Kama and Alblis Hospital (“Kama”). . He was driving a Tata Qualis and at a turn near the hospital, two terrorists, Ismail Khan and Ajmal Kasab, came out from behind a tree and fired at the vehicle with AK-47s. Although Vijay succeeded in injuring Kasab, he died of injuries sustained in the shootout on November 26, 2008, at the age of 51.
Facts/Trivia
- Vijay Slaskar’s teacher at the Nashik Police Training Academy was retired police superintendent Arvind Inamdar, who described Vijay as a very silent and intelligent student.
- Underworld don Arun Gawli was so scared of Vijay Salaskar that he once told a minister to shift him out of Mumbai.
- His 1983 batch included many officers who went on to become popular encounter experts, including Pradeep Sharma, Praful Bhosale, Arun Borude, Aslam Momin and Ravindranath Angre, who planted 20,000 plants at the academy.
- He was awarded the title of Shaheed after his death.
- His favorite weapon was a .38 Tiger Titan revolver, which he always carried in a leather pouch.
- He doesn’t drink or smoke, and rarely socializes with others. His friends also described him as a shy person.
- His friends and colleagues also call him “Maharaj”.
- In 2013, the Maharashtra government named the Jogeshwari East Park in Mumbai after Shahid Vijay Salaskar Udyan to commemorate his martyrdom.
- In September 2017, thieves snatched mattresses, table fans and ceiling fans from his home in Maharashtra’s Sindudurg district. The bungalow belongs to his mother’s side and is located in Adgoan village in Rameshwarwadi district.
The bungalow belongs to Vijay Salaskar’s matrilineal family
- After his death, Vijay’s wife spoke at a public event and said that if he had kept the AK-56 assault rifle, which he kept from 1993 to 2005, it would then be released on the orders of Mumbai Police Commissioner AN Roy. submitted it to the local weapons department) and he would have been alive.
- In 2010, his wife Smita said in an interview that she still wears Mangalasutra because she feels he is still alive.
- He carried two cellphones with him because he believed informants’ information couldn’t wait and if one phone was busy, they could use the other to contact him.
- His daughter Divya was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Sales Tax in Mumbai, a job she got only after the intervention of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, more than two years after the 26/11 terror attacks.
- Many movies and TV series have had characters based on his life. In 2020, a Tamil film Darbar was released starring Rajinikanth and Suniel Shetty, who played the role of Vijay Salaskar. In 2021, a movie called “Mumbai Saga” was released, which showed the underworld and Mumbai police in the 1980s and 1990s. Emraan Hashmi plays the role of Vijay Salaskar in the movie.
- His daughter Divya claimed in an interview that although Vijay used to come home late, on November 26, 2008, he came home very early at 8pm. She later said he left without saying goodbye to her, something he had never done before.
- For his heroic performance during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, he was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra. In 2009, his wife accepted the award on his behalf.
Vijay Salaskar’s wife Smita (right) received Ashoka Chakra in 2009
- He was awarded the President’s Medal for gallant service and received several awards in the Mumbai Police.
- Her daughter affectionately calls him “Superman” and a “control freak.”
- He loved exploring forts and visited many forts in Maharashtra and its neighboring states.
- He was inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
- He was very fond of the book Aad Vatevarcha Maharashtra (the state of Maharashtra that does not exist on tourist maps).
- His map-reading ability is excellent, and before going to any place, he will read the map of the area first.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education