Lokanath Behera


Lokanath Behera is an Indian Police Service officer. He is the current State Police Chief & Director General of Police of the Kerala State Police. He was the former Director of Vigilance in the state of Kerala, after T. P. Senkumar was reappointed as the Kerala State Police Chief and Director General of Police following the verdict of the honorable Supreme Court of India. Behera is from Odisha.

Education

Behera holds a master's degree in Geology from Utkal University.

Career

Behera was appointed to the IPS in 1985 and is a part of the Kerala cadre. He started his career as an ASP, in Kerala and also served as Commissioner of Police in Kochi and DCP in Thiruvananthapuram. He was then appointed as SP and later DIG in the Central Bureau of Investigation. He was involved in the investigation of sensitive cases such as the Graham Staines murder case, Purulia arms drop case, Mumbai serial blast case, etc. In 2009, he joined the National Investigation Agency and was one of the founder members. At the NIA, he headed the Terror Financing and Fake Currency specialized cell of the NIA. Prior to being appointed as the DGP of Kerala, he served as Director, Kerala Fire & Rescue Services. He was a part of the team that traveled to the United States to question David Headley in 2010.

Awards

While on deputation at the NIA, Behera was awarded the Presidents Medal for Distinguished Services in 2009.