Neha Agarwal, a Ph.D. holder in Law, emerged best all-round performer among 112 probationary Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) of the 2025 batch, securing four prestigious honours at the Raja Bahadur Venkata Rama Reddy Telangana Police Academy.
The probationers, comprising 74 men and 38 women recruited through the Telangana Public Service Commission’s Group-I examination, completed their 44-week institutional training, which concluded with a passing-out parade on October 9.
Agarwal, who has academic and research experience at NALSAR University of Law and Osmania University, secured 1,219.25 marks out of 1,500 to emerge best all-round performer. She received the Chief Minister’s Revolver and the Late Raja Bahadur Venkata Rama Reddy Gold Medal, along with a cash reward of ₹5,000.
She also secured the Home Minister Baton with Silver Ends for the best performance in indoor subjects, scoring 793.25 marks out of 1,000, and the Late Kona Ramachandra Reddy Memorial Gold Medal for Police Sciences, in which she scored 147.88 marks out of 200.
Among the other award winners, L. Srikanth, a B.Tech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering, received the Director General of Police Trophy for the best performance in outdoor subjects, scoring 452.30 marks out of 500.
T. Jacob Abhishek, an M.Tech graduate in Computer Science, won the Director’s Trophy for firing with 88.20 marks out of 100, while R. Sai Kiran Reddy, who holds a postgraduate qualification in Disaster Management, secured the Director’s Trophy for investigation with 321.75 marks out of 400.
D. Chandana, a NALSAR University of Law graduate and gold medallist in Criminal Law, received the NICFS Medal for Forensic Science, scoring 87.75 marks out of 100. Ch. Adi Seshu Reddy, a Chemical Engineering graduate from IIIT Basar, won the NICFS Medal for Criminology with 76 marks out of 100.
The 112 probationers began their training on October 27 last year. Of them, 79 were graduates, 31 held postgraduate qualifications and two had professional medical qualifications, including MBBS and BDS degrees. The batch included 45 former state government employees, 12 former Central government employees and 55 fresh recruits. Four had previously served as police sub-inspectors.
Interestingly, two probationers also secured ranks in the Union Public Service Commission examinations in 2026 while undergoing police training. G. Srujana secured the 55th rank, while D. Praveen Kumar was placed 795th.
The institutional training covered criminal laws, forensic science, cybercrime and financial fraud investigations, criminology, leadership, public order management and operational policing. Outdoor training included weapons handling, firing, field tactics, explosives, swimming, disaster management and physical fitness.
Beyond classroom instruction, the probationers were deployed for major security arrangements, including the Medaram Jathara, IPL cricket matches at Uppal and Ganesh immersion processions. During the Ganesh festivities in September, 100 probationers were deployed in Hyderabad and 12 in Nirmal district.
The trainees also attended specialised sessions conducted by senior police officers, forensic experts, cybercrime specialists and international policing professionals. These included interactions on human trafficking, transnational crime, cyber surveillance, child protection and investigative failures leading to acquittals.
Two women probationers also brought sporting honours to the academy at the All India Police Badminton Championship in Ahmedabad. Latheefa Asha won gold in doubles and silver medals in singles and mixed doubles, while Neha Purohit secured gold in doubles and bronze in singles.
The passing-out parade marks the completion of only the institutional phase of the 90-week induction programme. The probationers will now undergo 46 weeks of district, specialised and practical training, including attachments with Greyhounds, OCTOPUS, the Crime Investigation Department, Cyber Security Bureau, Intelligence Department and other policing agencies.
They will also undergo district-level practical training, during which they will be given opportunities to independently handle a rural police station and a police circle before assuming field responsibilities as Deputy Superintendents of Police.