The Hindu : National : The dogs too did their bit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 21, 2004

National

National

The dogs too did their bit

By Our Staff Reporter

— Photo: K. Ananthan

The STF chief, K. Vijay Kumar, pats the tracking dog Sultan at the Sathyamangalam camp on Wednesday.

SATHYAMANGALAM, OCT. 20. It was a moment of jubilation for the 750 Special Task Force personnel. Attired in green fatigues, they were greeting and hugging one another in joy. At the same time they were also in tears for, they had to depart soon. The entire force that had been on Veerappan's trail for years was lined up for a photo session. They wanted to carry home fond memories of their collective saga. With over Rs. 3 lakhs as reward, house site patta, and an accelerated out-of-turn promotion in the bag, the entire STF team was on cloud nine.

But there were other heroes — two tracker dogs which contributed their mite in ultimately running down the brigand. The two Dobermans, Sultan and Seema, had been a part of the combing operations for long.

There was a surprise gift for the dogs from their master. The STF chief and Additional Director-General of Police, K. Vijaykumar, gave them a pat and an affectionate kiss. The STF personnel said they would present these heroes before the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, when she hosted a feast for the STF men and their families in Chennai on October 27.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National