RPF cop wins whodunit contest

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">MUMBAI: A constable from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) won a gold medal at a murder investigation competition at the recent All-India police meet at Hyderabad, beating 111 other policemen. Ironically, murder investigations aren''t even a part of the purview of RPF, whose job is to protect railway property.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Among the cops Nilesh Abhyankar (27) competed with were those from fancied units such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Intelligence Bureau.Incidentally, the police meet held at Hyderabad, is considered to be the Olympics of Indian policing.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">The All-India Police duty meet is an arena where the police of all states and seven paramilitary forces pit their skills against each other in make-believe real-life police situations. It is organised by the Bureau of Police Research at Andhra Pradesh Police Academy, Hyderabad from June 11-15.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">The 112 participants in the murder investigation competition were taken to a dimly lit room and shown a five by eight feet portrait which showed a 70-year old man lying on a sofa with a bullet mark in his left rib. Every detail of a normal murder scene was recreated in the room.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">The participants were to observe the portrait for 20 minutes from the angle of an investigator. Then, they were left in another room for five minutes to review all that they had observed. Eventually, they were subjected to 25 questions, with a total of 50 marks, on the smallest details shown in the portrait. The questions were to be answered within 30 minutes.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Commandant Soham Singh Seera of the RPF here told TNN that all the participants were summoned a few weeks before the meet and were made to undergo training, usually at the Mahalaxmi ground.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Generally, those cops who have a track record of scientific investigation are chosen but Abhyankar despite not having undergone such training, had still managed to emerge a winner.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Abhyankar who is a psychology graduate, attributes his keen observation and in-depth study of psychology as reasons for winning the medal. At present, the constable posted at Andheri is basking in accolades coming from high-ranking officers such as the director general who announced at the police gathering itself that cops should learn from someone like Abhyankar who clinched the gold medal despite having no experience of murder investigations.</span><br /></div> </div>