Police Dog Helps Solve Rs 1.07 Crore Theft Case in Gujarat, Two Arrested

A police dog played a crucial role in solving a theft case involving Rs 1.07 crore, leading to the arrest of two individuals in Gujarat 's Ahmedabad district, an official reported on Friday.

With the assistance of Penny, a Dobermann, the district police apprehended the suspects on Thursday and recovered the full amount they allegedly stole on October 12.

According to an official release, the police arrested Budha Solanki and his accomplice Vikram Solanki, both residents of Saragvala village in Dholka taluka.

A 52-year-old farmer became a millionaire overnight after selling a piece of land near the Lothal archaeological site close to his village, which fetched him Rs 1.07 crore, said sub-inspector P N Gohil of Koth police station.

The farmer then traveled to Tarapur in Anand district on October 12 for some work after securing his home, Gohil noted.

"Since the farmer was planning to buy another piece of land using the proceeds, he stuffed the cash in two plastic bags and kept them inside his dilapidated kutcha house on October 10. On the night of October 12, some persons broke into the house by removing some bricks near the window and decamped with the bags," the official stated.

Gohil explained that the local police discovered the theft the following day and began questioning 30 suspects and 14 history-sheeters for leads.

A dog squad, accompanied by Penny, also visited the scene to trace the route taken by the thieves.

"On Thursday, Penny stopped at a spot some distance away from Budha's house. He was already on our list of suspects because he knew about the cash. When the accused was lined up with other suspects, Penny stopped near him for a while," he added.

Police subsequently raided Budha's house and recovered Rs 53.9 lakh. During interrogation, he confessed to the theft and identified Vikram as his accomplice.

The remaining amount was discovered at Vikram's residence in the village.

Gohil mentioned that Budha was close to the farmer and was the last person he spoke to before leaving home on October 12.

"Since Budha knew that the farmer would be out of station, he hatched a plan with Vikram and stole the money. They divided the loot equally and went home," Gohil said, adding that the duo was arrested for theft and trespass.