Shefeen Ahamed K, a 2003-batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre and Inspector General of Police in the Crime Branch, died on Monday while undergoing treatment for cancer at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He was 50.
A native of Kerala and an engineering graduate from the College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET), Ahamed had been heading the Odisha CID Crime Branch since July 2023. He was the son of Habib (also spelled Habeeb), a former CITU leader. Colleagues and officials across Odisha and Kerala described his death as an untimely loss to the police force.
Ahamed began his career as an Assistant Superintendent of Police after joining the Indian Police Service. Over more than two decades he held a series of important posts in Odisha, including Superintendent of Police in Jharsuguda, DIG of the South Western Range, DIG Technical, IGP Home Guards, IGP of the Human Rights Protection Cell, and DIG at Police Headquarters after returning from deputation. He also served several years on inter-cadre deputation in Kerala, where he worked as Superintendent of Police (Rural) in Thiruvananthapuram.
He earned particular recognition for his work in the Cyber Crime division and CID Crime Branch, receiving several honours and medals for campaigns and initiatives in those areas. Officers who worked with him remembered a professional known for both operational experience and a quiet, dedicated approach to duty.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief in a social media post, calling Ahamed’s service to the state and Odisha Police unforgettable and offering condolences to his family, colleagues and loved ones. Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and senior officers, including the IGP of the Central Range, also paid tribute. The President of the Odisha IPS Association, Saumendra Priyadarshi, condoled the demise as well.
Ahamed’s passing leaves a gap in Odisha Police’s senior leadership, particularly in crime investigation and cyber security work he had helped shape in recent years. Funeral and last-rites details were awaited from the family in Kerala.
