Pratima Bhullar Maldonado, an Indian-origin police officer from Punjab, who was recently promoted to Captain is the highest-ranking South Asian woman in the New York Police Department (NYPD), according to a report by CBS News.

"It feels like coming home. I spent more than 25 years of my life in this precinct when I was growing up," Maldonado, who is currently in charge of the 102nd Police Precinct in South Richmond Hill, Queens told CBS News in an interview.

Describing it as a big responsibility, Maldonado said she desires to serve better not only for her community but also for other females and kids. According to the media, South Richmond Hill is the home of the largest Sikh community in the country. "Going to the same temple that I did as a child, and now as a captain, I love it," the Punjabi immigrant said as she visited the temple.

Fellow Punjabi and India's Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs & Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri took to Twitter appreciating Maldonado.