International Yoga Day: Mock security drill conducted successfully at Rajpath

A special breed of sniffer dog, a member of 'Operation DOGA' sanitization exercise, on Saturday detected an improvised bomb planted by security agencies near the venue of the International Yoga Day celebrations at Rajpath here as part of mock security drill.

Official sources said ITBP dog 'Sophia' found and alerted her handler about the presence of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) near the India Gate lawns which was kept by Delhi Police and other security agencies as part of the drill held on the eve of the event.

They said the dog quickly got the wink of the live IED dug about two feet under the earth.

"However, it had no detonators as this was a mock drill on the eve of the big event tomorrow," they said.

'Sophia', sources said, is the special breed of 'Malinois' German Shepherd dog which had gained prominence across the world after they were reported to have participated in the strike of US Navy SEAL that killed al-Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.

Security agencies have launched a special operation, code-named 'DOGA'-- combining the words 'dog' and 'yoga', by deploying a contingent of specially-trained canine squads to sanitise and ensure fool-proof security at this place in central Delhi.

The venue around India Gate-Rajpath in the heart of the national capital is expected to draw close to 40,000 people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues and others, this Sunday for the event.