Super Sleuth: Police Dog Runs 8km in Rain in Search of Killer, Saves Woman

In a dramatic turn of events in Karnataka's Davanagere district, a police dog named Tunga-2 played a crucial role in saving a woman's life and capturing a suspected murderer after running eight kilometers in heavy rain.

On Thursday, a man's body was discovered on Bada Road near a petrol pump in Santhebennur, Channagiri taluk. The body, identified as Santosh, 33, was found by a patrol team, who promptly alerted their superiors.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Uma Prashant deployed Tunga-2, a Doberman, along with her handler, Constable Shafi, and other police personnel to the scene. The police dog sniffed the jacket of the victim and immediately dashed towards Channapura.

Tunga-2 and her handler ran non-stop for eight kilometers before stopping at a house where a commotion was heard. Upon entering the house, the police found a man, Rangaswamy, mercilessly beating a woman, identified as Roopa. Roopa, a 30-year-old beautician and mother of a minor girl, had lost a significant amount of blood and was on the verge of losing consciousness. She was rushed to Santhebennur Community Hospital.

“If you had not stopped me, I would have killed her like I bludgeoned her lover to death before coming here,” policemen quoted Roopa’s husband Rangaswamy, as saying.

The police arrested Rangaswamy, who was found to be the murderer they were searching for. Rangaswamy had killed Santosh with a wooden log on the highway near the petrol pump, suspecting him of having an affair with his wife. After the murder, Rangaswamy fled to his village, Channapura, intending to kill his wife. However, his plan was thwarted in the nick of time due to the alertness of Tunga-2.

“I stopped the bike, took a log from the roadside and hit him on the head. I saw him collapse and rushed home to kill my wife with the same log,” Rangaswamy told this to the police.

"Yesterday (Thursday) in Santhebennur police station limits, we came to know at around 9.45 pm that a person had been found dead. We came to know his name was Santosh, aged 33 years, from Channapura village. The accused is Rangaswamy, who also hails from Channapura village. We have apprehended three people. We have come to know that the deceased Santosh had an affair with accused Rangaswamy's wife. After Rangaswamy came to know about it, he killed Santosh," police said.

Inspector General of Police (Eastern Range) Ramesh Banoth lauded the efforts of Tunga-2, saying, “It was a rare case, where a police dog averted the killing of a human. Had Tunga-2 not taken police to the house, Rangaswamy would have surely killed his wife.”

Tunga-2 joined the canine squad last year and has already made a significant impact. She is named in memory of another police dog, Tunga, who helped Davanagere police crack 70 murder cases before her death in 2022.