Not All Heroes Wear Capes: 7-Year-Old Labrador In UP Helps Police Crack Sexual Assault Case, Accused Held

Last Updated:June 24, 2026, 07:28 IST

When police nearly gave up on the case with no clear evidence and no eyewitnesses, Mary helped investigators identify the accused and get him arrested

Not all heroes wear capes. The case of an alleged sexual assault of a six-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal was cracked not by investigators but by Mary, a seven-year-old Labrador.

When police nearly gave up on the case with no clear evidence and no eyewitnesses, Mary helped investigators identify the accused and get him arrested, NDTV reported, citing officials.

The incident occurred on June 19 in the Babrala area of Sambhal. The girl was found by her mother in a distressed condition and was unable to explain what had happened.

Suspecting something wrong had happened to her, the victim’s mother approached the police. When a team of investigators arrived at the spot, they countered several challenges during the course of probe.

With no CCTV cameras nearby and no eyewitnesses to the incident, there was no clear lead about the accused. “During the investigation, forensic samples were collected, and some articles were taken from the spot, but initially there was no clear lead about the accused," an official said, according to NDTV. 

When conventional methods failed to yield results, police sought help of the district’s dog squad. Subsequently, Mary, a Labrador Retriever who was deployed with the K-9 unit, was brought to the spot.

Sniffed ‘Gamchha’, Tracked Down Accused

According to an official, Mary was provided with the scent trail –– she was given a ‘gamchha’ (towel) recovered from the spot. She started following it through the nearby lanes and stopped at a house located a few hundred metres away from the incident site.

“Mary helped us reach the house of the accused. Her tracking ability proved crucial in the investigation," NDTV quoted the official as saying.

Based on the identification, police initiated action against the accused –– Sandeep, a resident of Babrala.

How The Accused Was Arrested

Once the accused was identified, police teams were deployed to apprehend him. On the night of June 22, Sandeep fired at the team and attempted to flee, said the official, according to NDTV. 

However, the accused sustained injuries after the police launched retaliatory action. Subsequently, he was arrested. One police personnel was also injured during the standoff. Both were taken to a hospital for treatment.

For her excellency and decisive role in the case, Mary was rewarded a sum of Rs 10,000 by Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishan Kumar Bishnoi.

In a post on ‘X’, SP Bishnoi wrote: “Mary is an asset of @sambhalpolice & @Uppolice. She has worked out several cases. Latest one is one of the stupendous achievement. Forever indebted to her…"

According to police, Mary was the gold medalist of her training batch and has been a crucial part of Sambhal’s dog squad since 2019.

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