AHMEDABAD: After a 16-year wait, Gujarat Police scripted a proud comeback as K9 star, three-and-a-half-year-old Labrador, ‘Check’ clinched gold and bronze at the 69th All-India Police Duty Meet in Nagpur, outshining over 200 competing police dogs from across India.
At the 69th edition of the All-India Police Duty Meet, hosted in Nagpur, the stakes were high, the competition was fierce, and the margin for error razor-thin, yet ‘Check’ cut through it all with accuracy, clinching gold in tracking and adding a bronze in the overall category, sealing a rare double for Gujarat.
Gujarat Police didn’t just win medals; it ended a 16-year gap.
This wasn’t just another competition; it was a national stage where over 200 elite police dogs from state forces and paramilitary units battled it out across demanding disciplines like explosive detection, narcotics search, agility, obedience, and precision tracking.
Among them, 45 of the best competed in the tracking category alone and ‘Check’ dominated.
Behind this victory lies relentless groundwork. Gujarat Police had already set the tone, organising a high-intensity state-level selection under the guidance of Neerja Gotru, where the best were filtered, refined, and pushed through rigorous training cycles.
From a shortlist of nine, six elite K9s were chosen to represent Gujarat, each trained under strict schedules, specialised drills, and constant supervision, yet it was ‘Check’ who rose above, delivering when it mattered most.
Dog training consultant Chandan Singh Rathore captured the moment best, saying, “ 'Check' winning gold in tracking and a bronze overall reflects the intense effort behind the scenes. This is a proud moment for Gujarat Police.”
And the recognition followed swiftly as K.L.N. Rao, Director General of Police, personally met ‘Check’, handler Ramesh Khant, and the training team at Police Bhavan in Gandhinagar.
But beyond medals and moments lies a larger force at work. Over 160 trained police dogs across Gujarat form a silent yet critical backbone of investigations, from explosives, narcotics detection, to crime tracking and assault operations.