How Jesse, The Sniffer Dog, Cracked Murder Case, Rescued Kidnapped Child In Mumbai

NDTV

06-07-2025

A German Shepherd named Jesse has become a key member of the Mumbai Police's K9 squad, helping solve multiple high-profile cases involving murder, robbery, and kidnapping. In a video shared by the Mumbai Police on X, Jesse's handler, woman police constable Surekha Bhanudas Lunde, detailed the canine's exceptional contributions to crime-solving in the city over the past four years.
"Ever imagined what a furry officer can do? Track a murderer and bank robber from a single shoe. Expose a suspect disguised in a saree. Rescue a missing child by tracing a taxi through a festive crowd. Meet Jesse who has cracked all of the above," the overlay text in the video read.
"Sniffing out danger & chasing truths is what they do best. Here's Jesse, a 'furmidable' partner who's cracked it all: unmasking offenders, tracking murderers from a single shoe, exposing disguised suspects, and rescuing missing children through crowded city lanes," the Mumbai Police wrote as the caption.
जश्शी आहेच तश्शी हुशार!
मुंबई पोलीस दलातील श्वान पथकात सुरू असलेली जेसी गेल्या ४ वर्षांपासून मुंबईकरांच्या सेवेसाठी कार्यरत आहे.
एका चप्पलच्या वासावरून आरोपीला पकडणे, अपहृत मुलाला गर्दीतून शोधून काढणे आणि तू करत असलेली अशी कामगिरी उत्तरोत्तर वाढत राहो. #MumbaiK9Squad … pic.twitter.com/R3Kgi5ZdiS
— मुंबई पोलीस - Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) July 6, 2025
One of Jesse's breakthroughs came during a murder and robbery case under the jurisdiction of the MHB Police Station. According to Constable Lunde, police recovered a single footwear item belonging to the suspect at the crime scene.
"We gave the footwear to Jesse to sniff. She followed the scent through a busy marketplace and navigated narrow lanes," said Lunde.
Jesse tracked the suspect over nearly 5 kilometres and stopped outside a room in a chawl, where she sat and began barking, an indication that someone of interest was inside. Acting on her alert, officers unlocked the door and found the suspect hiding inside. He was immediately arrested.
In another incident under the Malvani Police Station, Jesse helped rescue a kidnapped child during Ganpati Visarjan, a time when the city is especially crowded. Despite the noise and rush, Jesse followed the trail to a location where the accused had taken a taxi. "We checked the CCTV footage and confirmed the suspect's presence. He was later arrested," Lunde added.
Jesse has also reportedly helped in identifying suspects disguised in various forms, including one case where an accused had attempted to flee by wearing a saree.
The video closed with a tribute to the city's canine officers, "Unmatched loyalty, razor-sharp instincts. Our K9 squad unleash furtastic tales of investigation every single day."
Earlier this year, the Mumbai Police also announced plans to build a Rs 10 crore state-of-the-art kennel complex at the Marol Police Training Centre in Andheri East. The facility was proposed to house both active service dogs and, for the first time, retired ones under official care. At the time of the announcement, the Mumbai Police had 33 dogs of various breeds, including German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Labradors, and Dobermans, deployed in specialised units such as Anti-Narcotics, Bomb Detection and Disposal, and VIP Security.