Recently, a one-and-half year old sniffer dog named Annex has been recruited by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to strengthen the security at the Chandigarh Railway Station.

Annex, the Labrador has joined the Dog Squad last week. Annex has an expertise in sniffing explosives, said the RPF officials.

According the Railway Protection Force Post Commandant, all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure Annex’s comfortable stay. A separate room has been allotted to Annex and it is being fed as per the diet chart.

Varinder Kumar has been appointed as the Annex’s handler. The dog squad had reportedly being lying defunct for the past four years after the previous dog was retired.

During the festival season, the Railway Protection Force beefs up security around the railway station. In the absence of a sniffer dog, the Railway Protection Force was taking help from Government Railway Police (GRP) dog squad.

But now, Annex has been given the responsibility to conduct checks of all Shatabdi and other trains.

Annex’s Journey

Before joining the Railway Protection Force, Annex has undergone 8-month rigorous training of sniffing and tracking at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

“Annex was trained for sniffing out explosives. Besides, he is every instrumental at crime scene investigation. Being a Labrador, he is a very good tracker and can help the force in tracking culprits, said Varinder Kumar.

Nearly Rs. 5,000 will be spent on Annex’s diet which involves milk, pedigree. However, it will be changed soon.

Dog travels first class

According to the protocol, Annex is supposed to travel first class. Even the handler of the dog squad has been given a first-class train pass. If seats are not available in the first class, the dog and its hander could be shifted to the second AC.

Reference: The Tribune

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