Stray dog helps police solve murder case

Sumesh Rajan

14 February 2025

 

In a remarkable turn of events, the police in Navi Mumbai (located next to Mumbai – the economic powerhouse of India), solved a murder case with the unexpected help of a stray dog.

On April 13 last year, a 45-year-old man was found dead in a pool of blood in the Nerul node of Navi Mumbai city. The police registered an FIR after confirming that the man had been murdered.

On reviewing CCTV footage from the crime scene, investigators observed an attacker striking the victim on the head with a blunt object. However, the footage was unclear, making it difficult to identify the assailant.

While examining the video, the police noticed a black coloured dog with a white stripe on its belly present at the scene. What caught their attention was that the dog did not bark during the violent act, raising suspicions that it might recognize the attacker.

The police then began searching for the dog, believing it could lead them to a crucial clue.

During their search, officers from the Nerul police station found a similar-looking dog with a footpath-dweller under a flyover in the same node. The man informed the police that the dog usually stayed with an individual called ‘Bhurya’.

Following this lead, the police located ‘Bhurya’ later identified as Manoj Prajapati, sleeping under the same flyover on April 15. On being questioned, Prajapati allegedly admitted to the crime, stating that he was frequently harassed by the victim, who used to assault him and steal his money. In the early hours of April 13, 2024, an altercation between the two escalated, leading to the fatal attack.

With this breakthrough, the Navi Mumbai police successfully solved the case, demonstrating how keen observation and unconventional investigative methods can play a vital role in crime detection.