The Real Story Behind Delhi Crime 3: How an IPS Officer Led India Through Its Toughest Cases

On a freezing December night in 2012, Delhi held its breath. Sirens cut through the air, news channels flashed updates, and people across the country waited for answers. Inside that chaos, one officer stepped forward with a steady calm. IPS Chhaya Sharma, then deputy commissioner of police (south Delhi), took charge of an investigation that would change India’s understanding of justice.

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Her courage that night came from years of discipline and a deep belief in service. Long before the Nirbhaya case, she had already been walking into difficult situations that demanded empathy and resolve.

The making of a trailblazer

Born and raised in Delhi, Chhaya joined the IPS to fulfil her father’s dream. When she entered the 1999 AGMUT cadre — Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and the Union Territories — people often judged her by appearances and whispered that she was “too soft” or “too petite” for policing. She heard all of it, set it aside, and built her career on action rather than perception.

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Through postings that put her face-to-face with serious crime, exploitation, and some of the city’s most vulnerable communities, she built a reputation for something rare in policing: fearlessness paired with empathy.

Her husband, IPS officer Vivek Sharma, stood by her and often reminded her of her own strength.

The cases that shook India — and the officer who stood firm

In 2012, two heartbreaking cases landed on her desk.

A two-year-old girl, ‘Baby Falak’, was admitted to a Delhi hospital with severe injuries. Chhaya didn’t just investigate the violence inflicted on the child; she followed the threads far beyond the immediate accused, uncovering the exploitation networks that enabled it.

That same year came the Nirbhaya case, a tragedy that stopped the nation in its tracks. As deputy commissioner of police (South Delhi), Chhaya led the special investigation team tasked with solving a crime that felt too heavy for a nation. Under extraordinary pressure, she anchored the investigation — coordinating teams, tracking leads, and pushing for forensic precision. The result was one of the swiftest, most meticulously built charge sheets the city had seen.

In moments when most people would crumble, she stood firm like a wall. She showed India that policing can have both strength and a heart.

The work beyond headlines

Beyond individual cases, Chhaya has spent years improving how India protects women and children. Her work in anti–human trafficking operations and later with rights-focused institutions helped strengthen rescue systems, build clearer procedures for sensitive cases, and push policing towards a more survivor-centred approach.

These system changes also supported the introduction of fast-track courts for rape cases. The courts are expected to hear matters day after day and complete trials within two months of filing the charge sheet, giving survivors a quicker path to justice.

A career celebrated around the world

Chhaya’s leadership has earned major recognitions, including:

• McCain Institute’s Award for Courage & Leadership (2019)

• Asia Society’s Game Changer Award (2019)

• Police Medal for Meritorious Service

These are global tributes, but her real impact lives in the lives she protected, the crimes she solved, and the young officers she inspired simply by showing what was possible.

A legacy of unshakable courage

In a field long seen as a man’s domain, IPS Chhaya dismantled stereotypes one investigation at a time. She proved that justice isn’t delivered by muscle, it’s delivered by clarity, compassion, and the refusal to bend when the world needs you most.

Today, as her real-life heroism finds a new audience through Shefali Shah’s portrayal in Netflix’s Delhi Crime, her legacy serves as a powerful beacon. She is the real-life hero behind stories that changed India — not because she sought the spotlight, but because she stepped into the darkness when no one else would.