BAREILLY: A police sniffer dog helped Sambhal police trace the accused in the sexual assault of a six-year-old girl after investigators found no CCTV footage, no eyewitnesses and no immediate forensic lead in the case, officials said. Mary, a seven-year-old Labrador, followed the scent from a scarf recovered near the spot and led the team through narrow lanes to a house less than 300 metres away.Sambhal SP K K Bishnoi said police were initially working without a clear lead. “We had no clue how to crack the case. We thought of giving Mary, a seven-year-old Labrador retriever, a chance to sniff that area,” Bishnoi said, adding that she had earlier helped police in several difficult cases.Police said Mary was taken to the scene and given a handkerchief-like scarf recovered from the area. “Within minutes, she started moving through the locality’s narrow lanes. She led the team past a tea stall and stopped outside a residential house less than 300 metres from where the child was found. The signal was unmistakable, and we trusted her,” Bishnoi said.
A police team raided the house, but the accused had fled by then. Officers chased him through the locality, and police said he opened fire when cornered. “In retaliatory action, he sustained a bullet injury and was subsequently overpowered and taken into custody,” Bishnoi said. Police later conducted a scent identification parade at the station, in which the trained dog was taken past several persons to confirm the trail. Officers said Mary moved past others and sat beside the accused, which handlers treated as confirmation.“Subsequently, the accused confessed to his crime and was formally arrested and charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act,” Bishnoi said. Police said the operation, from deployment of the dog at the scene to the arrest, was completed in under 48 hours. Bishnoi announced a cash reward of Rs 10,000 for Mary and said her handler had initiated a formal commendation. “Mary has been awarded Rs 10,000 for cracking the case,” he told TOI.
