KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) director, Datuk Seri Amar Singh Ishar Singh, dubbed Malaysia's most popular Sikh, officially retires from the force today.
While he has been in the force for 35 years, his rise to social media fame came this year when he was tasked with handling the police investigation into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.
Other notable achievements include solving the arson case at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz centre in two days while he was the Kuala Lumpur chief of police. The fire claimed 23 lives.
The 60-year-old is also the only senior ranking Sikh police officer to date to be appointed as JSJK director on Oct 12 last year.
Amar Singh was up for mandatory retirement on June 6 however the Police Commission (SPP) extended his contract for a specific period following his involvement in handling the 1MDB investigation.
Meanwhile, JSJK deputy director Datuk Saiful Azly Kamaruddin will now assume Amar Singh's role temporarily.
The handing over of duties ceremony was held today at the Kuala Lumpur police training centre (Pulapol), here, witnessed by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
Amar Singh in his speech thanked the police leadership for trusting him to hold various positions in his 35 years of service.
"I am thankful to the IGP, deputy IGP and the directors for the trust they have given me in executing my duties all this while.
"I love my job as a police officer and when we like what we do, we will not look at it as a boring or tedious chore, on the contrary, it is something we enjoy.
"It becomes a satisfaction when we are able to complete the tasks given to the best of our abilities," he told reporters, here, today.
Born on June 6, 1958 in Kinta, Perak, Amar Singh joined the police force on Feb 27, 1983 as an assistant cadet.
He has a Bachelor of Science from Universiti Malaya (UM) as well as a degree in law from the University of Buckingham and a Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) from the Legal Profession Qualifying Board.
Apart from that, he has a degree in Criminal Justice from UM and a Diploma in Syariah Law and Legal Practice from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).