From corporate life to UPSC: How Manzil Saini became 'Lady Singham'

A career that began with Physics and a corporate job took IPS officer Manzil Saini to some of Uttar Pradesh's toughest assignments. From a kidney-racket probe to a hostage rescue, her journey reflects courage, persistence, and public service.Meet ‘Lady Singham’ IPS officer who cracked UPSC, probed kidney racket, won gallantry medal (Image courtesy: IPS Manzil Saini/ Facebook)New Delhi,Sep 28, 2026 18:00 ISTFor some, a career begins with a clear destination. For IPS officer Manzil Saini, the journey took her from physics classrooms and a corporate job to some of Uttar Pradesh's most challenging police assignments.A 2005-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Saini cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in her first attempt. Over nearly two decades, her career has included high-profile investigations, district policing, national security assignments and a hostage-rescue operation that earned her the Gallantry Medal.FROM INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TO CIVIL SERVICESBorn in Delhi in 1975, Saini studied Physics at St Stephen's College, as per reports, before pursuing International Business at the Delhi School of Economics, where she won a gold medal.She subsequently worked in the private sector for nearly three years. However, she decided to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination and eventually cleared it in her first attempt. She joined the Indian Police Service in 2005 and was allotted to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.THE KIDNEY-RACKET INVESTIGATIONOne of the major investigations associated with Saini's early career came during her posting as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Moradabad. A tip-off about an alleged illegal kidney-transplant racket led to a wider investigation involving middlemen and doctors. According to The Indian Express report, Saini pursued the case across locations and, during a joint operation with the Gurgaon Police, several people, including doctors, were arrested. The case was later transferred to the CBI.The investigation became one of the early high-profile episodes of her career and contributed to the media nickname "Lady Singham".FROM LUCKNOW SSP TO A HOSTAGE RESCUESaini served as SSP in districts including Muzaffarnagar, Mathura and Allahabad before becoming the first woman SSP of Lucknow in 2016. The Indian Express reported that she had earlier served as SSP of Muzaffarnagar, Mathura and Allahabad.In 2017, while serving as Meerut SSP, Saini was part of an operation to rescue Delhi-based doctor Srikant Goud, who had been kidnapped and held for ransom. According to the official Government of India Gazette, Saini and ADG Prashant Kumar led police teams to the location where Goud was being held. The team came under fire but moved ahead, arrested four kidnappers and rescued the doctor.Her role in the operation was later recognised with the Medal for Gallantry (GM), conferred in 2024.A CAREER BEYOND DISTRICT POLICINGSaini later served as Deputy Inspector General at the National Security Guard and the National Human Rights Commission. Her service record also includes the Medal for Meritorious Service, Director General's Commendation Discs and the DG NSG Commendation Disc.She is currently serving as Inspector General (Vigilance) in the Uttar Pradesh Police. From a gold-medal-winning student and corporate professional to a senior police officer, Saini's career has been shaped by a series of challenging assignments and a decision to move from the private sector into public service.- Ends