Chhattisgarh: CRPF's sniffer dog loses life in IED blast; handler injured

Sniffer dog Cracker of CRPF lost its life after an IED blast was triggered by Maoists at Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Saturday.

CRPF's sniffer dog died and its handler was injured. The incident occurred at around 1620 hrs when a RoadOpening Party (ROP) of CRPF's 170th?battalion was returning to its camp after a combing operation in Modakpal police station area, a district police official told PTI.

The ROP, accompanied by a sniffer dog, had launched the operation from its camp in Chinna Kodepal village.

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Just 2km ahead of the camp, the canine, named Cracker, sniffed a pressure IED (improvised explosive device). The device got triggered probably due to some movement during sniffing and exploded, killing the canine, he said.

Chhattisgarh: Wreath laying ceremony of CRPF sniffer dog Cracker, who lost his life in an IED blast in Bijapur yesterday. pic.twitter.com/NJ8Bvrl10T

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Its handler, constable B Bhanu Prakash Reddy, received minor injuries on his hand, the official said. Cracker, a Belgian shepherd (Malinois) breed dog, was inducted into the CRPF battalion in December 2015, he said.

Old pics of CRPF sniffer dog Cracker which lost its life in an IED blast by Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district yesterday pic.twitter.com/4hoLTHP2E2

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 8, 2017