Sanjay Arora

Sanjay Arora (born 27 July 1965) is a retired IPS officer of the 1988 batch,Tamil Nadu cadre (IPS 88, TN). He served as the Commissioner of the Delhi Police. He has also served as the Chief of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Sashastra Seema Bal.

Biography Sanjay Arora joined the IPS in 1988 and was allotted the Tamil Nadu cadre. He obtained his bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur.

In Tamil Nadu, he was part of the STF that carried out operations against Veerappan's gang. Being the first IPS volunteer for the force, he was the head of Tamil Nadu STF under the overall command of Walter Dewaram. He has also served in the Coimbatore and Chennai City Police.

He has been part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Apart from his home cadre of Tamil Nadu, as part of the ITBP, BSF and CRPF, he has served in Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and J&K.

He assumed the charge of DG ITBP on 31 August 2021 as the 31st Chief of the Force. He also held additional charge of DG SSB.

He was appointed as the Commissioner of Police, Delhi in August 2022, becoming only the third officer from outside of the AGMUT cadre to lead the force where he served till 31 July 2025.

Tenure as Commissioner of Delhi Police (2022–2025)

Major Developments

G20 Leaders’ Summit Security (September 2023) During Arora’s tenure, the Delhi Police was responsible for managing security arrangements for the 2023 G20 New Delhi summit held in New Delhi on 9–10 September 2023. The event was conducted without major security incidents. Over 450 police personnel were awarded Special Commendation Discs and Certificates for their roles in G20-related duties at various venues including IARI Pusa, NGMA, Jaipur House, and IGI Airport.

Special Cell Operations The Delhi Police Special Cell conducted several counter-terrorism and anti-gang operations during this period. In January 2023, two individuals allegedly linked to banned organisations were arrested in Bhalswa Dairy, Delhi, with arms and ammunition recovered. The Special Cell also investigated multiple interstate networks related to organized crime and foiled several plots, including those allegedly linked to ISI and D-Company.

Extradition of Deepak alias "Boxer" In April 2023, Delhi Police, in coordination with central agencies, facilitated the extradition of alleged gangster Deepak alias "Boxer" from Mexico. He was reportedly associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi group and was wanted in multiple criminal cases in India.

Narcotics Seizures Delhi Police, through the Special Cell and other units, reported several narcotics seizures during this period, including one involving contraband valued at over ₹13,000 crore. The seizures were part of ongoing efforts to counter drug trafficking in and around the National Capital Region.

Fingerprint Bureau ISO Certification In July 2025, the Fingerprint Bureau of the Delhi Police received ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management practices. According to Delhi Police data, the bureau reported a year-on-year increase in solved cases involving fingerprint evidence between 2022 and 2024.

Reorganization of PCR Unit During Arora’s tenure, the Police Control Room (PCR) function was restructured and separated from the law-and-order division, a reversal of a previous administrative change. The decision was aimed at enhancing response time for emergency calls.

Operational Style and Challenges

Arora generally maintained a low public profile during his tenure and did not conduct press conferences. The period included several high-profile investigations, including bomb threat incidents, cyber fraud, and murder cases such as the Shraddha Walkar case.

Retirement

Sanjay Arora retired on 31 July 2025 upon reaching the age of superannuation. A ceremonial parade was held at New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp, following which the charge of Commissioner was handed over to SBK Singh from 1 August 2025. With a tenure of three years, Sanjay Arora has been one of the longest serving Commissioners of Delhi Police.

Previous appointments

+S.No.RankOrganizationTenure1.Director GeneralIndo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)Aug 2021 - Aug 20222.Director GeneralSashastra Seema Bal (SSB)Dec 2021 - Aug 20223. Director General of Police / CommissionerDelhi PoliceAug 2022 - Aug 2025

Career Postings

Sanjay Arora has held several positions across different police and paramilitary forces during his service in the Indian Police Service:

S.No. Position From To 1 Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) – Virudhunagar November 1990 November 1991 2 ASP – Special Security Group December 1991 June 1993 3 Superintendent of Police (SP) – Special Task Force June 1993 February 1995 4 SP – Coimbatore (Rural) February 1995 June 1996 5 SP – Tuticorin June 1996 April 1997 6 Commandant – 18th Battalion, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) May 1997 December 2000 7 Commandant – Combat Wing, ITBP Academy December 2000 May 2002 8 Commissioner of Police – Coimbatore City May 2002 June 2004 9 Deputy Inspector General (DIG) – Viluppuram Range June 2004 June 2006 10 Deputy Director – Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption June 2006 May 2007 11 Inspector General (IG) – Railway Police May 2007 January 2008 12 IG – West Zone January 2008 September 2008 13 IG – Armed Police September 2008 July 2010 14 Additional Commissioner – Crime & Headquarters, Chennai July 2010 May 2011 15 Additional Commissioner – Traffic, Chennai May 2011 November 2012 16 Additional Commissioner – Headquarters, Chennai November 2012 April 2013 17 Additional Director General (ADG) – Operations April 2013 July 2015 18 ADG – Administration July 2015 May 2017 19 IG – Special Operations Frontier, Border Security Force (BSF) May 2017 October 2017 20 IG – Chhattisgarh Sector, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) October 2017 February 2019 21 IG – Operations, CRPF February 2019 June 2019 22 ADG – Operations & Headquarters, CRPF June 2019 November 2020 23 Special Director General (SDG) – Jammu & Kashmir and Southern Zone, CRPF November 2020 August 2021 24 Director General – Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) August 2021 July 2022 25 Director General – Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) January 2022 July 2022 26 Commissioner of Police – Delhi August 2022 August 2025

Note: Titles reflect the designations held at the time of service. Dates are based on official records and publicly available sources.

Awards Chief Minister Gallantry Medal for Bravery and Heroic Action for operations against gang of Veerappan. President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2014