B. Sumathi, the newly-appointed Commissioner of Police of Malkajgiri in Telangana, was allegedly harassed by nearly 40 men within minutes on 6 May after she posed as an ordinary woman on the streets of Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, past midnight to personally assess women's safety during night hours. The undercover operation, conducted barely a week after she took charge as Malkajgiri's first woman Police Commissioner, has sharply highlighted concerns over the safety of women in public spaces after dark.

How the Operation Unfolded

Sumathi stood alone at a bus stand in Dilsukhnagar past midnight, deliberately presenting herself as an unaccompanied woman. According to police, within minutes, approximately 40 men allegedly surrounded her, passed vulgar comments, and made unwanted advances. Several of those who approached her were reportedly drunk at the time.

Police teams deployed discreetly in the vicinity moved in and detained all 40 individuals. They were subsequently counselled and released after a formal warning, according to police. The operation was described by authorities as aimed at sending a strong message against the harassment of women in public places.

Who Is B. Sumathi

Sumathi is an officer of the 2006 IPS batch who began her career as a Group-1 DSP in 2001 before joining the Indian Police Service. She has held multiple critical assignments across intelligence and law enforcement wings over the course of her career.

Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, she served as Inspector General of Police, Special Intelligence Bureau, where she earned recognition for her role in facilitating the surrender of several Maoists. Using a dialogue-based approach, she is reported to have contributed to the surrender of 591 Maoists over a two-year period, including playing a key role in negotiations that led to the recent surrender of senior Maoist leader Tippiri Tirupati alias Devuji.

Not Her First Undercover Field Exercise

This midnight decoy operation was not Sumathi's first such initiative. Earlier in her career, she had conducted a similar undercover exercise as a young DSP near Kazipet railway station, reflecting a consistent field-first approach to law enforcement that has defined her service record.

Notably, Malkajgiri is one of the four police commissionerates spanning Greater Hyderabad and its surroundings, making it one of the more densely administered jurisdictions in the state.

Wider Significance for Women's Safety

The operation has drawn attention to the persistent challenge of women's safety in urban public spaces, particularly during late-night hours. By personally experiencing what ordinary women face on city streets, Sumathi's approach offers a ground-level accountability mechanism that top-down audits rarely provide.

As Malkajgiri's first woman Police Commissioner, Sumathi's tenure is being closely watched — both for its symbolic weight and for whether field operations like this translate into sustained enforcement action.