Sharp-shooting hero of Mumbai police force suspended for graft

India's most famous police officer, who was hailed a hero for his daring style in targeting Mumbai's underworld figures, has been suspended from service on suspicion of corruption.

A member of the city's elite Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), sharpshooter Daya Nayak shot dead at least 83 gangsters in five years and became a celebrity. Newspapers regularly splashed with stories about his bravery, TV channels made documentaries and his life and exploits inspired numerous Bollywood films.

But Nayak (meaning 'hero') has now turned villain.

Following accusations that he was leaving a section of the thriving underworld untouched in exchange for a huge sum in illegal protection money, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials raided Nayak's several houses last week and found he had amassed wealth far beyond what his legal sources of income allowed.

ACB officials recovered assets worth at least 90 million ($15.9 million) rupees from the homes of Nayak, who had a monthly salary of 9,000 rupees. On Saturday, Nayak was forced to surrender his police badge and guns. Now an investigation is under way into the claims against the man who was once the poster boy for the Mumbai force.

Investigators found Nayak owned a number of houses and a fleet of luxury tourist buses and travel companies. The man who started out with virtually nothing also had a flat in Switzerland and was a partner in a five-star hotel in Dubai, the ACB found.

It is believed a few fellow CIU 'encounter specialists' - heavily armed elite officers with a licence to kill - are under investigation for corruption.