How a gamcha helped police dog Mary trace rape accused to his house in UP

Sambhal,UPDATED: Jun 24, 2026 18:43 IST

A police dog named Mary played a crucial role in helping Sambhal Police solve the sexual assault case of a six-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district and track down the accused, police said.

According to police, the incident took place in the Babrala police station area. The six-year-old girl left her home to play on June 18 but did not return for nearly two hours. Concerned family members began searching for her and eventually reached a pond located around 300 metres from their home. During the search, they found the child unconscious in a forested area.

The family immediately rushed the girl to the Gunnaur Community Health Centre for treatment and informed the police about the incident. Babrala Police reached the spot on the night of June 18 and sealed the area.

The next morning, on June 19, police returned to the scene along with a forensic team, but officials faced several challenges as there were no functional CCTV cameras in the area and no eyewitnesses to the incident.

Investigators collected evidence from the spot and recovered a gamcha (cotton towel). On June 20, the girl's father submitted a complaint expressing suspicion of rape, following which police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Taking the matter seriously, Sambhal Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi deployed the dog squad to identify the accused. Mary, a trained police dog and a gold medalist from her batch, was brought to the crime scene.

Police allowed Mary to smell the recovered gamcha. According to officials, Mary immediately picked up the scent trail and tracked it through fields and forested areas before leading investigators to the residence of a man identified as Sandeep.

When police questioned family members at the house, they denied that Sandeep was present. Investigators later learned that he had fled after apparently getting information about the police inquiry.

Police then questioned local residents and gathered information indicating that Sandeep had allegedly committed the crime. Officers launched a search operation to trace him.

According to police, they later encountered Sandeep. During the operation, police arrested him and recovered a country-made pistol. Officials said the accused is currently undergoing treatment, while the condition of the six-year-old girl remains stable.

Following the arrest, SP Krishna Kumar Bishnoi announced a cash reward of Rs 10,000 for Mary in recognition of her role in helping investigators reach the accused. The officer personally presented the reward cheque to the police dog.

Speaking about Mary's record, Bishnoi said the dog was a gold medalist in her training batch and had previously helped solve a blind murder case in Bilaspur forest that involved police teams from two districts. He said Mary had also assisted in solving another blind murder case in Sambhal district.

The SP said that after conventional investigation failed to generate leads, the expert dog squad was deployed. He added that Mary successfully tracked the scent from the recovered gamcha to Sandeep's house, providing investigators with a crucial lead that ultimately helped police arrest the accused in the case.

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