Bolt, Rambo, Romeo: Haryana Police's sniffer dogs lead state's anti-drug drive

In Haryana's relentless campaign against narcotics, an unlikely battalion has emerged as one of law enforcement's most effective weapons — the trained sniffer dogs of the Haryana Police.

During the first half of 2026 (January 1 to June 30), joint teams of the Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB) and district police used sniffer dogs in targeted raids and search operations to crack 48 NDPS cases, leading to the recovery of large consignments of chitta (heroin), smack, cannabis, charas, opium, doda post, chura post and other narcotic substances.

Among the top performers, Bolt (HK132) led the pack with 15 successful cases, followed by Rambo (HK133) with 14 and Romeo (HK131) with 12.

Rambo's biggest contribution came in the period's largest seizure — 5 quintals, 50 kg and 300 g of doda post.

Haryana Director General of Police Ajay Singhal said the force's trained sniffer dogs and their handlers have become a crucial link in the anti-drug campaign.

“Their extraordinary scenting ability, scientific training and close operational coordination consistently proved decisive in tracking down narcotics and exposing trafficking networks,” he said.

The DGP urged citizens to share information related to drug trafficking on the helpline number 9050891508, saying public participation was vital to achieving the vision of a Drug-Free Haryana.

Dog Squad continues to deliver

Additional Director General of Police, Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau, Sanjay Kumar, said police teams immediately deploy with the Dog Squad on receiving specific intelligence, whether the suspected location is a vehicle, residence, warehouse, agricultural field or any other site.

He said the trained sniffer dogs detect narcotics concealed with remarkable ingenuity, with a speed and accuracy that human searches alone cannot match. In several cases, their leads have enabled investigators to unravel larger trafficking networks.

The first six months of 2026 witnessed a series of major seizures assisted by sniffer dogs, involving chitta, smack, cannabis, charas, doda post, chura post, opium and other narcotic substances.

Among the notable recoveries were 5 quintals, 50 kg and 300 g of doda post from Adampur, 10.160 kg of doda post from Fatehabad, and multiple seizures in Faridabad, including 6.56 kg of cannabis, 4.735 kg of doda post, 3.790 kg of doda post, 3.50 kg of cannabis, 1.2 kg of cannabis, 105.08 g of charas, besides heroin and other narcotics recovered in separate operations.

These operations were carried out jointly by police teams from Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa (Dabwali), Gurugram, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Kurukshetra, Hisar GRP and several other districts in close coordination with HSNCB teams.

Across these operations, trained sniffer dogs — Bolt, Rambo, Romeo, Jagga, Jack, Sheru, Tom, Bruno, Jimmy, Raja, Jesifer, Max, Mahi and Charlie — used their exceptional scenting ability to detect narcotics hidden in vehicles, buildings, warehouses and other locations, repeatedly turning intelligence inputs into successful arrests and seizures.

Bolt, Rambo and Romeo lead the pack

The Hisar Dog Squad Unit recorded the best overall performance among all units during the first half of 2026.

Bolt, the unit's lead sniffer dog, participated in the highest number of raids and search operations, contributing to 15 NDPS cases. Rambo played a key role in 14 cases, including the period's biggest seizure of more than 5.5 quintals of doda post, while Romeo contributed to 12 NDPS cases involving recoveries of chitta, cannabis and other narcotic substances.

Behind these successes were the handlers — Constables Anil, Sunil, Reet, Pradeep, Vikas and Ravinder — whose close coordination with their respective sniffer dogs enabled police teams to detect narcotics hidden using sophisticated concealment techniques.

Built through months of rigorous training and operational experience, the bond between the handlers and the dogs has become one of Haryana Police's most potent weapons against drug traffickers.

Brigadier Sandeep Singh Kashyap (Retd), a consultant with the Haryana Police, said every sniffer dog and handler inducted into the Haryana Police Dog Squad undergoes specialised training based on modern scientific methods.

He said the training covers the identification of various narcotic substances, systematic searches of suspected locations, preservation of evidence and disciplined field operations. After completing the programme, dog-handler teams are deployed across the state as operational requirements demand.