Gujarat police chief dies while holidaying in Thailand

Gujarat Police chief Amitabh Pathak, who was holidaying in Phuket with his family, died of a heart attack on Friday.

Pathak, 58, was swimming when he suffered a massive cardiac arrest, officials of the Indian embassy in Bangkok told PTI.

Indian Ambassador Anil Wadhwa said the mission is extending all assistance to Pathak's family. Pathak had gone to Thailand with his family for a vacation. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

An Indian Police Service officer of the 1977 batch, Pathak was appointed director general of police of Gujarat on February 27 this year.

On Independence Day, Pathak fainted while standing near the podium where Chief Minister Narendra Modi was delivering his speech at Bhuj in Gujarat. At the time, he said he suddenly felt fatigued and fell down.

In Ahmedabad, Home Secretary M D Antani told PTI that Pathak died while he was on vacation with his family in Thailand. His body is expected to be brought home later on Friday night, family sources said.

Modi condoled Pathak's death. "In Amitabh Pathak, Gujarat has lost a dedicated officer. The state will always remember his services. Spoke to his son and offered condolences," Modi said in a post on Twitter.

Before being appointed the DGP, Pathak was director of the anti-corruption bureau. A native of Uttar Pradesh, he became the state police chief after Chitranjan Singh retired. Pathak, who was due to retire in 2015, had last held an executive post as the Ahmedabad commissioner of police in 2010.