In a swift operation, a kidnapped six-year-old boy was successfully rescued within three-and-a-half hours of his parents seeking help from the Powai police on Thursday midnight, all thanks to the efforts of a trained police sniffer dog named ‘Leo.’ The kidnapper abandoned the boy, Vivek Kori, approximately 500 meters from his residence in Ashok Nagar slum, Andheri (East), alarmed by the persistent barking of stray dogs attracted by Leo’s presence. The Doberman sniffer dog, assigned to locate the child, efficiently tracked him down within just 90 minutes of being deployed.
The Powai police, registering a case of kidnapping against an unidentified person, reported that the boy was discovered in an open ground within the neighborhood. The incident occurred around 8 pm when the child was playing outside his hutment. Concerned when he failed to return home for dinner, his parents and 11-year-old sister initiated a search. In the absence of CCTV cameras in the slum area, the police opted to enlist the assistance of the Bomb Disposal and Detection Squad’s (BDDS) sniffer dog.
The canine, Leo, led the police to the petrified boy within the neighborhood. Despite the child’s inability to provide details due to fear, the police officer at the Powai police station highlighted the importance of Leo’s role in swiftly resolving the case.
Responding to the gravity of the situation, DCP (Zone X) Datta Nalawade assembled multiple teams, including ACP Bharat Suryavanshi, Inspector Supriya Patil, Inspector Vijay Dalvi, Assistant Inspector Vinod Lad, Sub-Inspector Nitin Gaikwad, and supporting staff. While one team stayed with the boy’s sister, another was deployed to search for the missing child.
The parents officially reported the disappearance around 12:30 am on Friday, prompting the police to retrace the child’s steps with the assistance of his sister. Noting that the child had changed clothes before leaving home, the police quickly decided to involve the expertise of a trained police dog. Leo, relying on the scent from the child’s T-shirt, successfully tracked down the boy within 90 minutes, overcoming challenges from local strays.
The child, facing speech impediments, could provide minimal details, mentioning that he was taken away by an unknown person described as an “uncle.”
