Born in Kenya in 1969, Alka moved to Leicester as a toddler. Raised in a strict Hindu household, she grew up with defined gender expectations: girls were encouraged to pursue education only as a precursor to arranged marriages within their caste. Despite an early interest in crime and pathology sparked by Agatha Christie novels, Alka initially followed a conventional path, working in insurance for nine years.

Alka’s entry into the police was a profound act of personal rebellion and courage. Facing an unwanted arranged marriage to a man living abroad, she chose to break the engagement. This decision, coupled with her desire to join the police—a profession her family deemed unsuitable for a woman—resulted in her being asked to leave her family home and a long-term estrangement from her father, who was himself a traffic warden.

In 1997, without knowing where she would live, Alka posted her acceptance to Leicestershire Police.

Alka joined the service in 1998, training at Ashford during a time when Asian female officers were a "rarity". Her career spanned several diverse roles:

• Frontline Policing: She served in rural areas like Ashby and Coalville, where she faced significant racial abuse from the community.
• Specialized Units: She spent time in the Youth Offending Team, which allowed her to balance work with raising her children.
• Detective Work: Alka eventually became a detective, working in child abuse investigation, serious and complex crime, and a secondment in Counter Corruption, which she described as her toughest role due to the emotional weight of investigating colleagues.
• Mutual Aid: Near the end of her career, she assisted in Merseyside following the tragic murders of three children.

Throughout her 27-year career, Alka balanced the "heavy lifting" of being a mother, wife, and professional. She remains a staunch believer in meritocracy, refusing to join identity-specific police associations and instead focusing on her skills as an investigator.

Upon retiring, she transitioned into her "second vocation": sports safeguarding. She currently works with the Leicester City Football Club Academy, aligning her professional expertise with her lifelong passion for sport. Despite the personal sacrifices, Alka maintains that she would do it all again "100%"

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