The performance of the Nagpur Police Dog Squad has come under scrutiny after official data revealed that not a single case was detected by the squad between January 1 and September 30, 2024, despite attending dozens of crime calls. According to police records, the city has five dog squads (during above period) that responded to 73 calls during the nine-month period. Of these, the dogs were actively used in 30 cases, while in 43 incidents, their assistance was not required. However, even in the cases where the squad was deployed, it failed to identify any accused or lead police to any specific location. The data shows that although the dogs provided some general guidance at crime scenes, they were unable to track down suspects or point to any houses connected to the offences. This has raised questions about the effectiveness of the squad in real-time investigations.

 

Police officials, however, cited practical challenges faced by the dog squad during operations. Speaking on the issue, Police Sub-Inspector Nitin Awdhoot, who is in charge of the unit, explained that the dogs are deployed immediately after receiving calls from the police control room and are taken to all types of crime scenes, including serious offences like murder.

 

“The dogs sniff the spot and try to follow the scent, but if the accused escapes using a two-wheeler or four-wheeler, the scent trail gets disturbed or cut off. In such cases, it becomes very difficult for the dogs to continue tracking,” he said. Officials also pointed out that increasing traffic, crowded areas and delayed information often weaken scent trails which reduces the chances of successful tracking. Another offiical said that the squad remains an important part of the investigation process but the figures shows the growing challenges faced by traditional tracking methods in modern urban crime scenarios.