Bhubaneswar: Senior Odisha cadre IPS officer Shefeen Ahamed K (50) died on Monday after a two‑year battle with cancer. Throughout his career, the 2003 batch officer held several key assignments both in Odisha and in Kerala, his home state, while on inter‑cadre deputation.Shefeen last served as inspector general of police (crime branch) in Odisha. According to the Odisha police, he succumbed to the disease while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.Condolences poured in from across the country, including the police fraternity and political leaders from Odisha, Kerala and other states.“Deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Shefeen Ahamed K. His dedicated service to the state and the Odisha police will always be remembered,” chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi posted on social media.The Odisha police force lauded his role in strengthening cybercrime investigation. “He was a distinguished officer, who served with dedication, integrity and professionalism. His valuable contributions to policing, particularly in cybercrime investigation, will always be remembered with respect,” the force said in a statement. Senior officers also held a condolence meeting in the evening.Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, described Shefeen as a “courteous officer with a fine mind.”“I came to know Shefeen during his deputation to Kerala, when he served as rural SP of Thiruvananthapuram. He was a thoughtful, unfailingly courteous officer with a fine mind, who wore his competence lightly. A CET graduate and a son of this city, he went on to distinguish himself in Odisha, particularly in cybercrime and the crime branch, over more than two decades of service,” Tharoor wrote on his social media handles.“Though he returned to his home cadre in Odisha, he never quite left Thiruvananthapuram behind and stayed in touch over the years. That he should be taken from us so young, and in the city he loved, makes this loss all the harder to bear,” Tharoor added.