Labrador helps Araria cops nab gang-rape and murder accused

PATNA: Murli, a labrador, took only half-an-hour to do what policemen in Araria district failed to achieve over two days.
The dog followed a 2km-trail, from the spot where the body of a 12-year-old gang-rape victim was found on August 5, and fetched up at the doorstep of the prime accused, Amar Kumar Tatwa, in Mirzapur Dhatta Tola in Araria district on Friday.
Police said Tatwa has confessed to his involvement in the crime.
The incident occurred when the girl had gone to attend a village fair along with her grandmother. Four youths abducted her when she went aside to relieve herself and took turns to rape her. The body of the victim was found the next morning.
M A Haidri, SHO of Simraha police outpost, said he requisitioned a dog squad from the Purnia headquarters after a pair of slippers of the crime suspects were recovered from the spot.
When the seven-year-old Murli, a tracker, was assigned the task, it took only a few seconds at the crime spot, before setting off on a 2km trek until it reached the house of Tatwa, from where police picked him up for questioning.
The accused, an undergraduate student, has a betel shop near Mirzapur Chowk where the fair was organized. Police said he has confessed to the crime and also named three associates in the act.
The other three accused — Chhotu Kumar, Krishna Kumar, and Pankaj Kumar — are on the run.
Dhurat Sayali Sablaram, SP of Araria, said the case would be put on fast track, as substantial evidence has been collected against the accused to corroborate the charges.
Apart from the slippers, clothes of the victim, blood-stained clothes of the accused, and samples of mud collected from the spot have been sent to a forensic science laboratory for test.
The SP handed over a certificate to Rajendra Prasad Yadav, Murli’s handler.
Murli has achieved the feat for the second time in a row. Two months ago, a man had gone missing from Purandaha village in Araria district. Murli traced his body, which was stuffed in a gunny bag and dumped on the river bank, within an hour.
“Murli is very sharp and intelligent,” Yadav said. He said Murli helped police solve a sensational rape case lodged at the Kasba police station in Purnia district last year. The then SP, too, had given him a certificate for Murli’s splendid job.
Santosh Singh, head of Purnia dog squad team, said, “We have at present three dogs, including Murli.”
Earlier, Baby, also a labrador, was promoted to the rank of assistant sub-inspector on the recommendation of the then Rohtas SP Manu Maharaaj (now DIG, Munger) for her excellent record.