Maria's life, as one of India's most well-known police officers, is the stuff of police legends. His superiors and various political masters repeatedly removed him from his regular assignments to investigate serious crimes. But he successfully led difficult and monumental investigations, including the 1993 serial bombings and the audacious 26/11 terror attack. For the majority of his career, he was confined to the Urbs Prima in Indis. It kept him in the spotlight all the time, attracting the ire of many and resulting in some deeply distressing moments. Maria, on the other hand, persisted and led from the front, wherever his duty took him.