4-legged Osama hunter adds teeth to CRPF

Raised by the force at its training school in Karnataka,these dogs are part of the first batch. Seen as “working dogs” and quicker than German Shepherds,the Belgian Malinois were an obvious choice,say CRPF officials.

Apart from sniffing out explosives,they can also detect suspects holed up in a room. During the operation against bin Laden,a Malinois was strapped to a Navy SEAL commando as they were lowered from a helicopter.

“These dogs have been trained in infantry patrolling. They can walk at a stretch for 20 km without a break. We can fit cameras with night-vision facilities on their heads,” said an officer. They can also move through areas humans can’t.

D J Singh,commandant of the Dog Breeding and Training Centre in Taralu,Karnataka,said considerable time is spent on training. “They are rugged and have good stamina. They can thrive in any kind of adverse situation. We currently have a small number of these dogs but we plan to reach the 3,000 mark,” he said. The 69th pup,in fact,was born last month.