36-year-old first woman ACP of Navi Mumbai Crime Branch is actor Madhavan’s inspiration. Who is Prerana Katte?

Aditya Dhar’s action drama Dhurandhar turned into a major box-office success when it was released, featuring an ensemble cast led by Ranveer Singh, alongside Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Sanjay Dutt. With excitement already building around the sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, fans are eager to see the original cast reprising their roles. We are still not sure about Akshaye Khanna. Amid the buzz around the film, Madhavan has been actively sharing updates and inspirational posts on social media.

On Sunday, the actor once again caught attention by sharing the remarkable achievement of Prerana Katte, who recently became the first woman Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch. Taking to his Instagram stories, Madhavan celebrated Prerana's inspiring journey in the police force. At just 36, Katte has created history by becoming the first woman to hold the ACP post in the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch, marking an important moment for women in policing in Maharashtra.

All you need to know about Prerana Katte

Originally from Satara, she comes from an agricultural family. She has often said that no one in her family had previously worked in civil services, and in fact, she was the first person in her household to take up a job outside farming. Despite this background, Katte was determined to pursue a career in public service from an early age.



In an interview with FPJ, Prerana has shared that her interest in civil services began during her school days. By the time she was in Class 8 or 9, she had already decided that she wanted to become an officer. She would read newspaper articles about civil servants and even save clippings about them. Another major source of inspiration was her father, who had once dreamed of joining the civil services himself but could not pursue it. According to Katte, he encouraged his daughters to follow that path instead.

After completing her BSc in Agriculture, she appeared for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examination. She successfully cleared it in her very first attempt in 2016, marking the beginning of her journey in the police force.

Her career started as a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) in Satara. Over the years, she held several important postings across Maharashtra, gaining experience in different areas of policing. She later served in Kolhapur and then worked as Assistant Commissioner of Police in Pimpri-Chinchwad between 2020 and 2022.

Her career also includes serving as an ACP at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. Before being appointed to the Crime Branch, she worked with the Economic Offences Wing in Navi Mumbai, where she handled cases related to financial crimes and fraud. Interestingly, she has pointed out that in several of her postings, she was among the first women to hold those positions.


While her career has been filled with achievements, she has also spoken about the challenges of working in a demanding profession. She once explained that the training period during the early stage of her career was particularly tough, as the expectations and physical demands were the same for both men and women. Despite these challenges, she remained determined to succeed.

Today, Prerana balances her responsibilities as a senior police officer with her role as a mother to a young daughter. She credits her family, including her husband and in-laws, for supporting her in managing both duties.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Madhavan's upcoming movie Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge is slated to hit the screen on March 19.