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Sniffer dogs from Israel to boost Special Protection Group

In its effort to provide more teeth to Indian security, the Central government has procured specialised trained dogs from Israel…

Sniffer dogs from Israel to boost Special Protection Group

Representational image (Photo: Getty Images)

In its effort to provide more teeth to Indian security, the Central government has procured specialised trained dogs from Israel that have the capability to sniff explosives and armed suspects from a distance. Sources said the government has ordered around 30-35 such dogs at a cost of around Rs 150 crore that will give a fillip to the Special Protection Group that provides security to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their families wherever they are.

Sources said the special variety of dogs are from the Oketz canine unit of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). “These dogs are Belgian Shepherds that can attack an enemy while still being small enough to be picked up by its handler,” sources said. Senior government officials said due to ‘increased threat perception of the Prime Minister’, this arrangement has been made.

While no estimates have been provided, it is believed that tens of thousands of dollars are required for its training and maintenance of these dogs. Sources also indicated that the Prime Minister’s office has asked the defence and home ministry to upgrade Indian training infrastructure and make a proposal to train Indian security dogs to that level, so that they can be used to guard the borders.

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This is not the first time that Israeli armed forces have extended security to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has been learnt that the world’s best investigative agents from Israel’s Mossad and MI5 had been dispatched to Turkey during Modi’s stay to attend the G20 summit.

 

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