'I'll work to uphold the CBI motto,' says newly appointed CBI director Praveen Sood

Himachal-born Karnataka IPS officer shot to fame with Jaipuria rescue in 1997

Praveen Sood, the newly appointed Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has pledged to uphold the organisation's motto: industry, impartiality and integrity.

Sood spoke to DH on Sunday after the Appointments Committee on Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked him to head the premier agency.

Asked whether heading the CBI would be a challenge, he said: "Why should it be a challenge?"

Sood promised to return to Karnataka at the end of his two-year tenure as CBI director. "Bengaluru is my favourite city," he added.

Sood's appointment coincides with the Congress' victory in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly election.

Sood had been targeted by Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar in the run-up to the election. In March, Shivakumar had called Sood "Nalayak DG" and vowed to act against him after the Congress came to power.

The CBI is investigating Shivakumar in a disproportionate assets case.

A 1986-batch Karnataka-cadre IPS officer, Sood headed the Karnataka state police as DG&IGP before his latest appointment.

Born on May 22, 1964, in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, Sood became one of the youngest IPS officers when he was appointed to the government service on December 14, 1986.

A BTech graduate in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, he is known for bringing technological advancements to crime investigation and traffic policing.

Sood started his career as an assistant superintendent of police in Mysuru in 1989. He later served as superintendent of police in Ballari and Raichur before getting posted to Bengaluru as deputy commissioner of police (law and order).

During this stint, Sood shot to fame when he led an operation to rescue industrialist Nirmal Kumar Jaipuria, six days after a gang from Punjab kidnapped him from Bengaluru's upscale Koramangala area in July 1997. Sood used his Punjabi-language skills to trace the kidnappers and rescue Jaipuria.

Sood later served as a police advisor to Mauritius' government for three years. In 2003, he took a sabbatical to pursue a Post Graduation in Public Policy and Management (PG PPM) from the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru.

During his tenure as Mysuru police commissioner from 2004 to 2007, Sood was instrumental in the arrest of Pakistani militants from the City of Palaces.

In 2008, Sood was appointed the Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) in Bengaluru. During this stint, he implemented B-TRAC, a specialised project to address rising traffic congestion. He played a key role in establishing the Traffic Management Centre in Bengaluru.

During his tenure as Bengaluru police commissioner, Sood launched Namma 100, a sophisticated police helpline that promises a 15-second response.

Sood headed the Central Investigation Department (CID) before being appointed DG&IGP on February 1, 2020.