Breaking shackles are not easy but those who gather the courage and fortitude to do it are called real life heroes. Inspector Denis Arup Lakra is one such valiant soul. His efforts got duly recognized recently, when he along with seven other police officers from Bengal was conferred the Home Minister’s Award for excellence in the field of investigation.
Belonging to the catholic faith, Inspector Denis’s parents, Thaddeus Lakra and Sushila Lakra (retired bank officers), firmly stood by him throughout his journey. Today, he is grateful to them and his team members who helped him achieve his dreams. An alumnus of Don Bosco Park Circus and St. Xavier’s College, he became a sub inspector and joined the Kolkata Police in 1999. In 2017 he was promoted to the post of inspector. “It was indeed a proud moment. Joining the police has always been my dream. My uncle Sudhir Lakra, an IPS officer from Delhi, inspired me to join the police force. My parents were extremely happy when I decided to pursue my dreams of becoming a cop and have been my pillar of strength through thick and thin,” recounts Lakra fondly.
Cyber cell journey
Denis was an outdoor officer posted in the Special Branch. In 2018, during his board promotion from sub inspector to inspector, he got posted in Kolkata Police cyber crime cell , Lalbazaar. Thereafter began his journey with the cyber cell.
“The cyber cell demands a lot of responsibility. Luckily, I had a wonderful team to work with. My team members – one sub inspector Indra,Kuntal, Abhijit, Srimon and Kundan and Constable Sanjay Pandey of Cyber Police Station, Lalbazaar – are highly efficient and committed. It is their support and contribution that make me successful at the end of the day”, proclaims Lakra.
“My stint with cyber cell has been a great learning experience. Cyber crime cases are rising and are extremely challenging. Recently I came across a case where a group of fraudsters had duped several UK and US nationals by posing as Microsoft agents and setting up fake call centers. My team and I dived deep into the case to unearth the truth and are deeply satisfied to have successfully cracked it. The London Police Cyber Crime Head Mr. Jonathan Frost called up Commissioner of Police, Anuj Sharma, to congratulate on the success of the case. That was a moment of immense pride for all of us,” shares Lakra.
A thorough workaholic, Denis is also a philanthropist doing commendable work for unemployed youths. “I see that the youth today have a lot of potential. It is also very good to see more and more youth keen to explore the job of a police officer and is also joining the force in great numbers. However, the pandemic has shattered many dreams and turned many youths jobless. It breaks my heart to see the high rates of unemployment in my community.
Thus ,to contribute to the cause in my own small way, I have founded the Waterboys Service that employs catholic boys and girls to serve food during Easters, Christmas Eve, Good Friday and New Year. I have also started a company with my parents, which takes care of unemployed youth by providing odd jobs like disinfecting houses and institutes during the lockdown. Being of some help to these hapless souls gives me immense satisfaction,” concludes Lakra.
