Success Story: Bravery is not a quality of the body; it is a quality of the soul. And Soumya Sambasivan, investment banker-turned-IPS officer, exemplifies this quote perfectly. Referred to as ‘Lady Singham’, IPS Officer Soumya Sambasivan is often in the news headlines.
Let’s take you back to 2023. After the devastating rainstorm in Himachal Pradesh in 2023, Mandi’s Superintendent of Police, Soumya Sambasivan, garnered attention for her successful efforts in evacuating locals who were initially reluctant to leave their homes.
Soumya Sambasivan, a 2010-batch IPS officer, hails from Palakkad, Kerala. Her father served as an engineer with the Indian Army, and due to this, she had the opportunity to attend various schools during her early years. Speaking of her educational qualification, Soumya Sambasivan completed her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, and later pursued a PGDBA in Marketing and Finance from ICFAI, Hyderabad. Following her education, Soumya worked for about three years as an investment banker with a multinational bank before deciding to join the Indian Police Service.
During her corporate career, Soumya Sambasivan quickly became disinterested and realized that the role wasn’t a fit for her. Determined to pursue a more meaningful path, she decided to prepare for the Union Public Service Commission exam. After joining the IPS, she worked in various departments, including the 3rd IRB (India Reserve Battalion) and CID, ultimately becoming Shimla’s first female IPS officer.
During this time, a video of her went viral in which she was seen teaching young women from Sirmaur district self-defense techniques and demonstrating how to make pepper spray.
Sambasivan played a pivotal role in dismantling a drug mafia network and solving several unsolved cases. Her exceptional work earned her a nomination for the President’s Medal. One of her notable achievements came during her tenure in the Sirmaur district, where she solved a complex murder case using her sharp insight and attention to detail. The police had discovered a body, but its identity remained unknown. Sambasivan observed that the body appeared to be that of a Hindu woman, as evidenced by the bindi and vermilion on her forehead. Since no one came forward to claim the body, it was cremated according to Hindu rituals, and the ashes were preserved. However, during her investigation, Sambasivan noticed a small detail in the victim’s photo—the woman had recently had her eyebrows plucked, which eventually helped crack the case.
Sambasivan then instructed her team to circulate the photograph in all the beauty salons in the area. The strategy paid off when a salon owner recognized the woman, allowing the police to trace her residence. It was later revealed that the deceased was not a Hindu woman, as initially believed, but a Muslim woman, and that her husband had killed her. Further investigation revealed that she had been a bar dancer.
Meet Lady Singham, investment banker-turned-IPS officer, Shimla’s first female SP, who once slapped an MLA, solved a murder mystery by checking….; her name is…
Let’s take you back to 2023. After the devastating rainstorm in Himachal Pradesh in 2023, Mandi’s Superintendent of Police, Soumya Sambasivan, garnered attention for her successful efforts in evacuating locals who were initially reluctant to leave their homes.
Soumya Sambasivan, a 2010-batch IPS officer, hails from Palakkad, Kerala. Her father served as an engineer with the Indian Army, and due to this, she had the opportunity to attend various schools during her early years. Speaking of her educational qualification, Soumya Sambasivan completed her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, and later pursued a PGDBA in Marketing and Finance from ICFAI, Hyderabad. Following her education, Soumya worked for about three years as an investment banker with a multinational bank before deciding to join the Indian Police Service.
During her corporate career, Soumya Sambasivan quickly became disinterested and realized that the role wasn’t a fit for her. Determined to pursue a more meaningful path, she decided to prepare for the Union Public Service Commission exam. After joining the IPS, she worked in various departments, including the 3rd IRB (India Reserve Battalion) and CID, ultimately becoming Shimla’s first female IPS officer.
During this time, a video of her went viral in which she was seen teaching young women from Sirmaur district self-defense techniques and demonstrating how to make pepper spray.
Sambasivan played a pivotal role in dismantling a drug mafia network and solving several unsolved cases. Her exceptional work earned her a nomination for the President’s Medal. One of her notable achievements came during her tenure in the Sirmaur district, where she solved a complex murder case using her sharp insight and attention to detail. The police had discovered a body, but its identity remained unknown. Sambasivan observed that the body appeared to be that of a Hindu woman, as evidenced by the bindi and vermilion on her forehead. Since no one came forward to claim the body, it was cremated according to Hindu rituals, and the ashes were preserved. However, during her investigation, Sambasivan noticed a small detail in the victim’s photo—the woman had recently had her eyebrows plucked, which eventually helped crack the case.
Sambasivan then instructed her team to circulate the photograph in all the beauty salons in the area. The strategy paid off when a salon owner recognized the woman, allowing the police to trace her residence. It was later revealed that the deceased was not a Hindu woman, as initially believed, but a Muslim woman, and that her husband had killed her. Further investigation revealed that she had been a bar dancer.