Due to certain inherent qualities, dogs have become an integral and vital tool for security forces. They have a highly-developed natural sense of smell, hearing, coupled with speed, stamina, ferocity and faithfulness.
The utility of dogs in enforcement agencies worldwide as sniffers for explosive and narcotic detection, as trackers, guards, and search and rescue operations at disaster management sites are well documented. Considering the threat perception posed to the Indian economy and society by contrabands like narcotics, the sniffer dogs’ role in aiding customs officers is immense. Despite technological developments, sniffer dogs still lead the way in identifying high-risk goods.
Maharashtra Police uses canine for unearthing crimes taking place under their jurisdiction. 335 dogs are assigned duty all over Maharashtra, helping cops to gather evidence regarding robbery, rape, and to identify culprits to a certain extent. This article documents some extraordinary incidents where these canines helped police solve cases in record-breaking time.
Incident 1
A case under Section 395 was registered at Bhigvan Police Station under the Pune Rural Police jurisdiction by a complainant who was looted by a group of robbers at the Expressway while changing his flat tyre. The accused fled away with gold ornaments and valuables worth Rs 1,25,000. Sibba, a Dobberman, who is part of the canine squad, traced the main accused through a piece of cloth found at the crime scene and helped recover the amount from him. “Sibba is super smart. With his help, we were able to reach the accused’s warehouse, which was at a 4 km interval from the crime place, and seized the looted valuables,” said an officer attached to the team.
Incident 2
The Haveli Police Station, under the Pune Rural Police jurisdiction, received a report that a dead body was found on the ground floor of a building. While investigating, we found a pair of sandals near the body. Sibba immediately sniffed them and moved towards the terrace. He then stopped at a particular flat. After proper investigation, we found out that the main accused, Sumit Shejval, used to stay in the same building. During interrogation, he admitted to the crime,” said a police officer attached to the investigation team. Sibba has been our best helper till now, he added proudly.
Incident 3
In a chilling incident in Talasari (Palghar district), a young man entered a humble thatched hut, and within a split second, snatched a baby who was being nursed by her mother. The man ran off into the jungle. The stunned parents then realized what had happened and tried to chase him while at the same time crying for help from their neighbours. They were unable to locate him. The accused, later identified as Rajen Burkhud, a resident of Patilpada, Talasari, took the baby to a paddy field, sexually assaulted and then abandoned her. The baby miraculously survived with injuries. “The accused left his footwear behind, which helped us trace him,” said Senior Inspector, Ajay Vasawe of Talasari Police Station. The police dog squad helped in tracking the accused.
Dogs’ active sense of smell, sight and hearing have a decisive advantage over human agencies. They assist the police in a variety of investigations and search operations. They track down criminals; sniffing the surrounding premises for clues. They are also deployed for patrolling, locating stolen articles, searching for missing persons, explosives and narcotic detection, and VIP and VVIP security.
“Attempts have been made to improve the standards of the squad. Dogs and their handlers get the same kind of training as international security agencies. They will get the same kind of facilities that kennel units of international agencies get,” said a police officer attached to Maharashtra Police.
The City Police have posted videos on social media expressing love for their four-legged friends. One of the more recent posts shared by the Department was a 28-second-long video showing adorable German Shepherds – Maya, Whiskey and Honey, and their journey thus far. The video starts with a reminder of how they were gifted to Mumbai Police by Rakshita Mehta back in August 2019. The video also highlighted a tweet of the Department’s readiness in keeping the pups and training them to be the canine guardians of the city. These three puppies who made their way to the Mumbai Police Dog Squad a year ago, are almost ready to join the line of duty to protect the residents of Mumbai, or as the commentary in the video says, they are ready to ‘sniff their way to glory’.
“Look who turned 1 yesterday! The little puppies gifted to us in August last year by @RAKSHITAMEHTA11 will soon be vigilant sentries to shepherd the safety of Mumbaikars. Please join us in wishing Honey, Maya & Whiskey a very ‘Happy Birthday’,” reads the birthday post.
Facts
The first dog squad of Maharashtra was established in Mumbai in the 1960s. Mumbai’s police dogs, also called the K9 Squad of Mumbai Police, is attached to the city’s Crime Branch. There are currently seven dogs – a combination of Labradors, Dobermans and Belgian Malinois. The Belgian Malinois, however are a new addition to the squad. The six-month-old puppies are currently undergoing training in Alwar, Rajasthan.
