As if curbing crimes and maintaining law and order was not enough, the police were targeted by an invisible enemy - the Coronavirus — last March. The men in khaki in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region took a hit initially only to prepare better and emerge stronger. Over nine months into the pandemic, cops in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane have managed to bring down active cases in the force to about 1 per cent.

Among the three commissionerates, Mumbai Police felt the heat the most. The virus infected over 7,000 staffers and officers and felled 98. But a dedicated hospital and rigorous check-ups helped the cops contain further damage.  “It was a really tough job, many of my friends, batchmates lost their lives in this battle, but we kept fighting,” said a senior inspector who himself got infected with COVID-19. “During the pandemic, we had to stretch our limits and working hours, but none of us shirked their responsibility,” he added.