UDUPI: The Karkala unit of the Anti-Naxal Squad (ANS) will soon get a dog squad for the first time to bolster its efforts in conducting effective combing operations in thick forests. Four German Shepherd tracker dogs will be inducted into the ANS within four months. The four dogs are currently undergoing training at the police dog training school in Bengaluru and will soon be taken around forest areas to get them acclimatised to the environment.
According to sources, trainers attached with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been training the four dogs in Bengaluru since the last one month. After they complete the training, they will arrive in Karkala’s ANS unit located in Ramasamudra.
A canine house of 1,200 sqft is being constructed at a cost of Rs 22 lakh. Along with these dogs, eight members from ANS are also being trained simultaneously to handle the canines.“The dog squad will surely be successful in tracking down Naxals. Even during the toughest weather conditions, German Shepherds are ready to go out into the woods and sniff around,” said an official of the ANS unit.