Salma, police dog that aided probe in 1000-plus cases, is dead

Monday 09 April 2018 04:05 PM IST

by Our Correspondent

Text Size

Salma, the dog that helped cops in more than 1,000 cases, is dead

(Left) When Salma's body was kept for the public to pay homage. (Right) Premji with Salma

related stories

Kottayam: Retired police dog Salma, 11, which had helped Kerala Police solve several complicated cases, is no more. Salma, who was a tracker in the district dog squad, was under the care of trainer K V Premji after she retired from active police duty a-year-and-half ago.

Premji said Salma was under severe depression when he was away for about six months in Thrissur on official duty. In between, she also had liver disease, which led to her death.

Premji adopted Salma by submitting a special application to the police chief when she retired, the first time in the history of the Kerala Police a retired dog was adopted by its handler.

Premji had provided better facilities than what she would have got at the dog squad headquarters. She even had a fan and other facilities in her kennel. Salma, a Labrador Retriever, joined the dog squad on January 1, 2008, when she was just six months old. By the time she was nine, Salma was part of more than a thousand cases and came first in state duty meet five times.

Salma had played an integral role in the cracking of several high-profile cases, including Nagampadam Sadan murder, Mundakayam housewife’s theft drama, Karukachal robbery, the murder of a woman in a rubber plantation in Pambadi, and Pazhayidom double murder. In Kuttikal where a cross was vandalised, she caught all the four accused from their house, winning all-round applause. She will be buried in Premji's house.

Read more Kerala news

Tags: Kerala Police Dog squad