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Dog ‘sniffed out’ accused house, SHO tells court

Kashmir Times. Dated: 7/22/2018 11:14:39 AM

PATHANKOT, Jul 21 (Agencies): A sniffer dog, after examining the spot from where the body of the eight-year-old victim of the Kathua rape and murder case was recovered, had gone and sat in front of an house adjoining the residence of one of the accused, a policeman has told the court.
From the spot the dog went towards Basti Rasana and “sat on the ground just in front of the house adjoining the residence of Sanji Ram,” the alleged mastermind of the crime, Suresh Gautam, the then Station House Officer (SHO) of Hiranagar police station, submitted this before the trial court. Ram was the caretaker of the devasthan (temple) where the girl was allegedly held before murder. Incidentally, the dog squad could not reach the spot on time on January 17, the day the body was found. It reached only in the night owing to traffic jam, Gautam said.
The dog squad had reported to the SHO personally, but he did not make any entry regarding this in his case diary or any other record of the police station on January 17, Gautam admitted in his testimony.
He made an entry in the case diary and daily register only on January 18. That day, the squad went to the police station first and then went to the spot. There was only one dog in the dog squad which was put into service in the morning of January 18, he said.
When confronted by the defence counsels, Gautam said, “We are not trained to handle the dog squad. It is correct to suggest that if mud or dust is lifted from the scene of crime and is sprinkled or thrown at some other place, and the dog belonging to the squad is led to the places, then the said dog might go there.” He also said he did not remember the names of the members of the dog squad. Gautam said the dog sniffed nothing else, except for the crime scene. The clay samples and clothes of the deceased were sealed on January 18 by the investigating officer, he said.