This IPS officer who simply loves to help people offered Rs 1 lakh to a street vendor robbed of his savings

Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Sandeep Chaudhary, a 2012 batch IPS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre, likes to go out of his way to help people and this time his noble act of offering Rs 1 lakh from his personal savings to a 90-year old street vendor in Srinagar has won the admiration of netizens who are praising him on social media platforms.

A couple of days ago, robbers took away Rs 1 lakh from Abdul Rehman, who sells ‘channa’ on the roadside in Bohri Kadal area of old Srinagar. The man lives alone and had reportedly saved the money for his last rites.

Sandeep Chaudhary, SSP, Srinagar is a 2012 batch IPS officer (Photo Courtesy: Sandeep Chaudhary/ Twitter)

Explaining his action, Chaudhary told The Kashmir Monitor, “Sometimes it takes time to catch the culprits. I saw his face and I was moved. Money is not a problem. Even iPhone is more than Rs one lakh. So I decided to help him in my small way.”

The police office told the paper that usually old men take along their money because of the fear of misplacing it.

“He had Rs 1.60 lakh with him. In one pocket, he had Rs one lakh and in another, he had Rs 60,000. Robbers looted Rs one lakh. For a poor man, saving so much money takes life. I felt very bad.”

Chaudhary had earlier served in Anantnag, Shopian and South Jammu before his posting in Srinagar.

While serving in South Jammu he had offered free coaching classes to students appearing in various competitive exams including civil services, staff selection commission and banking exams.

“I feel the youth don’t get much exposure in Jammu in terms of preparing for competitive examinations. My small step is aimed at providing a platform to such aspirants so that they can achieve their goals,” he told The Tribune.

Chaudhary, who hails from Punjab, has been an inspiration for many civil services aspirants. He did not attend regular college for his higher education and managed to crack the tough UPSC exams without attending any coaching classes.

The Indian Express quoted him as telling the students attending his classes: “I did my BA and MA from Indira Gandhi National Open University. I joined Punjab University for regular course in journalism for about three months but then I dropped out due to circumstances and joined MA in public administration from IGNOU.

“I completed my education through correspondence – which was not very costly but I was guided at every stage, even during UPSC preparation, by friends and seniors.” - TWL Bureau