Playing chess with Rakesh Maria

I did an interview with Rakesh Maria (for GQ) in 2012. Must say I found him to be likeable, and that’s not a word I usually associate with Mumbai cops. I am sure he is right now enjoying the game of chess he is playing with Indrani. And he will checkmate her very soon. Here’s a question I had asked him and his response.

You are famous for your skills in ‘breaking’ your suspects without the use of the so-called third degree. How do you do it?

The type of terrorists and criminals we are dealing with today, they won’t break so easily. And this third degree stuff is meant only for films. You have to break them psychologically. To begin with, the investigation has to be thorough, so you know the complicity of the culprits. The culprits also assess you during an interrogation, to find out how much you know. And once they realize you know things, it becomes difficult for them keep telling lies. It’s like a game of chess. I am a firm believer that one needs to interrogate an accused on one’s own. You cannot depend on the interrogation reports or feedback from the juniors. I have personally interrogated every accused person in every case that I have handled. I love trying to understand the psychology of a criminal, to understand what makes the criminal do the act, and how he/she tries to hide his/her crime.