Pune police recruit four pups

Pune police have purchased four one-and-a-half-month-old Labradors to work as sniffer dogs to detect bombs and help with crime and narcotics cases.

In a press statement, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) said the pups have been named Badal, Prince, Rambo and Viru.

“Badal and Prince will be trained for bomb detection, while Rambo will be trained for crime detection. The fourth, a black Labrador, Viru, will be trained to trace narcotic substances,” said the press release.

The decision to induct the pups was taken after the dog Shiva, who was used for crime detection, retired in 2011. Currently, two dogs, Surya and Teja, are being used for crime detection, while the third, Jai, is trained to trace narcotic substances.

With the addition of these pups, the total strength of the dog squad will go up to seven. They will be trained at the Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) dog training centre at Shivajinagar headquarters for nine months.

A trainer at the centre said Labradors are mostly used for detecting explosives, crime and narcotics-related cases because of their excellent sniffing skills. All four pups have been purchased from Vrusham Kennel in Dighi, a noted Labrador breeder.