A CRPF patrol dog was killed on Friday and his handler injured in a Naxal triggered IED blast in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
Officials said the incident occurred in the evening hours in the Chinnakodepal-Modakpal jungles of the said district when a patrol party of the force was out for a road sanitisation and clearing task.
They said the dog ‘Cracker’, a Belgian Malinois breed, was hit by the splinters of the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that was cleverly hidden beneath the ‘kuchha’ road in the area by Maoists.
CRACKER, CRPF brave sniffer dog who lost his life in Maoist IED blast at Bijapur, Chattisgarh yesterday pic.twitter.com/XNVBDqfnQv
— Raj mishra UPSTF (@Cop_RK) April 8, 2017
“While Cracker was killed on the spot, his handler constable Avinash has been injured. The party has been evacuated,” a senior officer said.
The force had lost a similar breed dog, Pluto, in January in the same district when a patrol was out for anti-Naxal operations.
Pluto’s colleague and CRPF canine ‘Aminika’ was similarly killed in an IED blast in Jharkhand’s Latehar early this year.
The Belgian Malinois is a highly-trained and ferocious canine breed used by paramilitary and security forces for infantry patrol roles and is also famed as the Osama hunters.
Old pics of CRPF sniffer dog Cracker who lost his life in an IED blast by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district yesterday pic.twitter.com/ZDkVbBqEB0
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 8, 2017
Tributes paid to CRPF sniffer dog Cracker who lost his life in an IED blast by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur yesterday pic.twitter.com/mGAy9NLXKc
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 8, 2017
Chhattisgarh: Wreath laying ceremony of CRPF sniffer dog Cracker, who lost his life in an IED blast in Bijapur yesterday. pic.twitter.com/NJ8Bvrl10T
— ANI (@ANI_news) April 8, 2017
They are known so as these dogs first shot to international fame after they assisted the elite US Navy SEALs in sniffing out Osama bin Laden from his safe haven in Pakistan in 2011.
The Belgian Malinois is being inducted in Indian security forces since the last few years as they have an excellent track record of sniffing out hidden bombs, human presence and danger in the enemy territory.
On Saturday, CRPF paid glowing tributes to Cracker with full honors.
Twitter was also full of admiration and prayers for the Cracker
Made me cry: CRPF pays tribute to ‘Shaheed Cracker’, the sniffer dog https://t.co/qgPZeh540f via @oneindia @anusharavi
— Vicky Nanjappa (@vickynanjappa) April 8, 2017
Dog Soldier #Cracker Martyr
Lord Ram give him Peace 🕉🌷 pic.twitter.com/eYadUSm4h6— Ravi Singh (@RealRavii) April 8, 2017
@ANI_news @nanditathhakur RIP sniffer dog CRACKER of d CRPF,who r great souls,need 2 b saluted,v salute political croòks who loot d pples,countries moni,will v change
— Gita K Subbiah (@KSGita) April 8, 2017
@ANI_news One more soldier of the nation, did not speak but did his duty through smell secrifiihis life for the nation. Rest in peace Cracker, the Dog
— harshad (@HarshadDats) April 8, 2017
Saddened to hear the martyrdom of another brave #IndianSoldier Sniffer dog Cracker by a IED blast in the line of duty in #Chhattisgarh pic.twitter.com/3Ky7Paj4cJ
— Om Prakash Mathur (@OmMathur_bjp) April 8, 2017
Feature image source: ANI/Twitter