M. Nageswara Rao, who has been appointed interim director of the CBI, hails from Bore Narasapur village in Warangal district of Telangana, and has served in several key positions across States, after he joined service in 1986.
Hailing from an agricultural family, he went on to complete his graduation within the district before venturing out for higher studies. After his postgraduation at Osmania University, he joined a PhD programme at IIT-Madras, and during that time he cracked the Civil Services examination. Subsequently, he joined the Indian Police Service as part of the Odisha cadre in 1986.
Mr. Rao served in both Chhattisgarh and Odisha in various posts. As head of the Odisha Fire Service, Mr. Rao received the Chief Minister’s award for his work during cyclones that hit Odisha — Phailin (2013) and Hudhud (2014). He also served as Deputy Inspector General and Inspector General in the Central Reserve Police Force. In 2016, he became Joint Director (Chennai Zone), CBI and held the post till May 2018. One of the cases that the bureau worked on in Chennai included the controversial selling of a parcel of land belonging to a public sector firm, in Guindy. The most high-profile case during his tenure in Chennai was the raid on the premises of State Health Minister C. Vijaya Bhaskar and then Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana Rao.
He also won the President’s police medal for distinguished service.