MUMBAI, June 6 -- The Mumbai police has started distributing bulletproof vests to its force, which include senior police officers and personnel from the Quick Response Team (QRT). The force will distribute around 1500 sets of the protective armour in the coming days, along with an equal number of helmets. The flaws of bulletproof vests used by Mumbai police first came to light during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks when ATS chief Hemant Karkare was fatally struck by AK-47 bullets. Soon, remedial measures were taken and in 2017 an order for 4600 protective vests were made, but 1400 of the stock turned out to be out to be defective and were returned to the vendor. The vests being distributed now have been tested in various laboratories in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and are equipped to face sophisticated weapons like AK-47s, said an officer from Mumbai police. "They have been ordered keeping in mind previous incidents, especially how a 'bulletproof' vest wasn't able to save then ATS chief Hemant Karkare during the 26/11 attacks," said the police officer, confirming that the vests and helmets were being given out to QRT personnel, DCPs, ACPs, senior police inspectors, combat vehicle staffers, Force One, State Reserve Police Force, Special Forces and Gadchiroli police. The orders were placed by the Director General of Police's (DGP) office to a Gujarat-based company that imported them. They were tested for the AK series of rifles, self-loading rifles, MP5 submachine guns, Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) and other sophisticated weapons. Before the terror attacks on Mumbai in 2008, 110 bulletproof vests were bought by the state police in 2001, which did not live up to its promise as evidenced during the attacks. Investigations later revealed that they could insulate the police only from shots fired from 9-mm pistols. Karkare's death in the terror attacks finally prompted serious discussion on the lacuna. Some of the last visuals seen from that time were of Karkare putting on the bulletproof vest, before the jeep he was traveling in was attacked in south Mumbai. Following the Mumbai terror attacks, the state government spent Rs.6 crores to buy 80 sets of bomb suits in 2011, which also proved to be of inferior quality. A case was filed against the supplier. After the controversy over the poor quality of vests distributed to officers, no senior officer was ready to take a decision related to ordering vests nor was any company ready to supply them. On November 8, 2008, 10 members of Pakistani terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba created a mayhem in the city for around 72 hours, targeting the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station, Hotel Taj Mahal Palace, Hotel Oberoi and the Chabad House, a Jewish centre, killing 164 people and injuring 268. Property worth around Rs.155 crore was destroyed....