Small loopholes remain in even the most meticulously planned crimes, leading investigators to the truth. Yet, connecting these scattered clues is never easy. In one such case, it was Sachin, the tracker dog from Kerala Police K-9 Squad in Alappuzha, who rose to the occasion and helped solve it.
On October 8, Haryana native Sanjay Kumar Sharma and his family arrived in Kerala for a holiday. To explore the backwaters, they visited Alappuzha. Here, after a canoe ride in Meenappally, they boarded a line boat from Kainakary jetty to Alappuzha.
However, after reaching their destination, Sanjay’s wife realised that they had left one of their bags behind at Kainakary. They immediately contacted their local tour agent, Sanjeevan, who had assisted them in canoeing. With help from a few others, Sanjeevan managed to retrieve the bag and return it personally.
Upon checking the bag, the family discovered that a diamond ring worth `2.5 lakh and `60,000 in cash were missing. Even though the family had suspicions about Sanjeevan, they still sought his help to reach the police station and file a complaint.
Acting swiftly, the Pulincunnu police registered a case, and sub-inspector C G Sajikumar, along with his team, launched an extensive investigation.
“We are aware incidents like this could adversely affect Kerala’s rural backwater tourism. Our efforts paid off within just a few days. We managed to recover the valuables worth several lakhs and return them to the rightful owners,” Sajikumar says.
Detailing the investigation that led to the recovery and arrest, an officer from the Ernakulam range states, “As part of the probe led by Ernakulam Range DIG Satheesh Bino, we interrogated several individuals in the Kainakary region. Several raids were also conducted on the very first day. The team also prepared a list of suspects, including the canoe guide who assisted the tourists. However, the stolen valuables could not be recovered during these searches.”
“During this time, acting on a confidential tip-off, the team inspected the canoe boat owned by agent Sajeevan, which was anchored near Mullassery. There, they found the stolen valuables — wrapped in paper inside a small plastic container hidden in the boat.” the officer says.
All fingers pointed at Sajeevan. But he categorically denied any involvement in the theft and maintained his innocence.
The case gained momentum again when the fingerprint experts and the district dog squad, accompanied by tracker dog Sachin, arrived at the scene. To everyone’s surprise, Sachin picked up the scent from the recovered stolen items and led the officers nearly 100 metres away — to the house of Ajeev Janardhanan, a 49-year-old and resident of Kainakary who also worked as a canoe guide for tourists.
During subsequent interrogation, Ajeev confessed to the theft. Upon receiving the alert from Sajeevan about the lost bag, Aniyan, an agent for another tourist boat found the bag at the jetty and handed it over to Ajeev. However, the latter secretly opened the bag and stole the diamond ring and cash and hid them among the plants outside his house.
Ajeev then returned the bag to Sajeevan. But out of fear about the investigation that had by then gathered steam and a fear that he might get caught, Ajeev placed the stolen valuables inside Sajeevan’s canoe and fled.
Following the confession, Ajeev was arrested and Sajeevan was cleared of any wrongdoing. The accused has been remanded in custody.
The four-legged hero
Sachin, an eight-year-old German Shepherd, is a tracker dog with the Kerala Police K-9 Squad with Alappuzha. Trained initially in Madhya Pradesh, he continues to undergo hours of daily training to maintain his skills. Moreover, Sachin can track scents over distances of up to 8 kilometers. He, along with his trainers, received a good service entry in 2022 for his outstanding service in aiding the police to solve the twin political murders that shook the state.
