GUWAHATI: In a positive development in the war on illegal smuggling, as many as 21 trained dogs engaged at the Guwahati Railway Station are aiding the Railway Protection Force or RPF in its mission to track down prohibited items.
It is a common modus operandi for smugglers to ferry not only contraband but also gold and drugs through the railway route.
But all thanks to the 21 service dogs at the station that the RPF is getting equipped to face challenges with a new vigour. Out of the 21 dogs, 19 are sniffers and the rest 2 are trackers who have been specifically trained as per their roles.
Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of the Northeast Frontier Railway, Sabyasachi De said, "The specially trained dogs carry on regular patrolling with the RPF personnel and help them in maintaining tight security at the station."
The NF Railway CPRO further added, "Seizures of drugs, gold bars and marijuana are often reported. The RPF as well as the government railway police have been able to foil several smuggling attempts with their help."
It may be recalled here that earlier on Tuesday, the sniffer dogs helped the railway police personnel to foil a smuggling attempt during a routine operation at the Guwahati Railway Station.
The smuggler, identified as Mohammad Shafi ground a considerable quantity of gold into smaller pieces for transportation, aiming to escape from security forces. Later, it came to light that the recovered gold shall worth around Rs. 50 lakh in the market.
Railway officials while welcoming the decision of engagement of these efficient dogs at the station, stated that it will altogether add a new dimension in hunting down smugglers opting the railway route for transporting contraband, gold or even explosives.
Not only the Guwahati Railway Station, but other few stations falling under NF Railway have also witnessed a spike in contraband seizure very recently.
Notably, the Railway Protection Force recovered around 110 kilograms of ganja worth over Rs. 11 lakhs in two consecutive days from a regular checking drives at Lumding and Jalpaiguri Road railway stations of Assam.
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