Mumbai: Meet city cops' canine aide who helped crack the Dahisar robbery case

Police dog Jessy who helped investigators crack the Dahisar bank robbery in just a few hours is part of a team of canines that has busted many crimes Since her deputation to the Crime Branch the Belgian Malinois has helped cops solve murders and sniffed out drugs The Crime Branch has two more dogsmdashWhiskey and Mayamdashwho have proved pricelessDCP Balsing Rajput who heads the Crime Branchrsquos prevention unit said ldquoWe included Belgian Malinois dogs in the squad in 2019 Belgium Malinois dogs can work long hours a day They have strong stamina They are agilerdquo The Malinois dogs are strong can tolerate inclement weather and adapt to all kinds of jobs They are highly intelligent apart from being more energetic than other dogs said officersThe police have also two Dobermann dogs but they could not cope up with the mounting work pressure of the police force Officers said they would get tired after four to six hours of work and require frequent rests In such a situation Jessy and the other Malinois dogs have helped the force a lotldquoIf someone wants to use a Belgian Malinois it is important to train it carefully to control its instinctive aggression They have a very good memory and are adapted as police dogs These dogs are quick to jump high rumbles They are used in Naxalaffected areas like Gadchiroli while paramilitary forces also use themrdquo said DCP RajputThe three Malinois dogs were brought when they were 45 days old Each was then handed over to a handler who stays with them round the clock and is responsible for their safety Since the dogs grow with their respective handlers they bond well with them and follow their orders They are not meant to take listen to any other officersThe dogs have been trained in Rajasthan to learn running jumping and sniffing explosives and drugs An official of the dog squad said they spend R10000 monthly on each dogrsquos food and medicineWHISKEYDOB June 23 2019DOJ August 2019Case solved HousebreakingHandler Kiran BairagiWhiskey with his handler Kiran BairagiOn July 6 2021 there was a theft on the seventh floor of a building in the jurisdiction of Gamdevi police At the time of the crime all the members of the house were away from Mumbai When Whiskey was taken to the spot he was made to sniff a Tshirt there Whiskey then took the policemen to the house of a man who worked as a servant in the home of the complainant At the servantrsquos house Whiskey smelled another piece of cloth and gave enough indication to the cops to nab him Whiskeyrsquos handler Kiran Bairagi said the dog is very punctual and they quickly learned each otherrsquos gesturesMAYADOB July 2 2019DOJ September 2019Cases solved murder and child kidnappingHandler Abaji ZiteMaya with her handler Abaji ZiteIn 2019 JJ police station got a murder case She was strangled with a rope Maya was taken to the crime scene and was made to sniff the rope She led the police to the accusedrsquos house 2 km away She also helped solve the kidnapping of a oneyearold child in Bandra A piece of cloth found at the spot where the child was stolen was used to trace the accused Maya led the cops to Mahim Causeway With the help of CCTV camera footage police nabbed the kidnapper and rescued the childJESSYDOB Nov 10 2018DOJ January 2019Cases solved Two murdersHandler Surekha LondeJessy with her handler and officers from the dog squadJessy is currently the star of the month She tracked down the Dahisar bank robber with his footwear that was left behind at the crime spot Jessy sniffed her way to a slum pocket at Rawalpada in Dahisar East and took the investigators to a groundplusone structure where the main robber was hiding ldquoOnce Jessy pointed to the house the officers broke open the door of its mezzanine floor and arrested the accusedrdquo said Londe Recalling Jessyrsquos another show at Dharavi earlier in 2021 Londe said ldquoThere was a fight between two groups in which one person was injured due to firing The police found a countrymade pistol from the spot but it could not be ascertained who it belonged to When Jessy was brought to the spot she didnrsquot point to anyone After this when the clothes of the injured person were brought she smelled them and pointed to him It was found that the man himself had fired the bulletrdquo Londe added ldquoMy affection for Jessy is so much that I know even the smallest of her troublesrdquoDogs with city copsgtgt Bomb disposal squadLabrador 12 dogsgtgt Crime Branch PreventiveBelgian Malinois 3Dobermann 2gtgt Goregaon Dog Squad for security checksBelgian Malinois 3Labradors 10Daily schedule of the Malinois dogsgtgt 6 am As soon as they wake up they are taken to the ground for an hour of exercisegtgt 7308 They are fed milk and eggsgtgt 1130 pm Lunchtime While they are still growing they are fed cooked meat and once they are fully grown they are fed highquality dog foodgtgt 45 pm They go for special traininggtgt 6307 pm On their return they are fed milkgtgt 89 pm Time for the last meal of the day