NEW DELHI: To boost protection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has obtained elite sniffer and attack dogs from Israel.
Other top figures too would be entitled for the canine cover, The Telegraph India reported Saturday.
Over dozens of highly trained “attack dogs, bomb sniffers and chasers” had been imported from Jerusalem over the past one year.
“The new four-legged recruits to the SPG are considered the best in the world in sniffing out explosive booby-traps,” sources in the security establishment have told The Telegraph.
“Because of a heightened threat perception, we wanted to beef up the Prime Minister’s security.” a security official, not named in the report, said. “They are part of the Israeli defense forces’ ace canine unit,” he added.
The dogs belonging to the breed of Labradors, German shepherds, Belgian Malinois dogs and a fourth “rare breed” – were also very effective in combat.
“They are part of the Israeli defence forces’ ace canine unit. They are discharged from military service at the age of 10 and are adopted by their handlers,” another official said.
The cost of maintaining the dogs, did not reveal, however, the local Israeli media says that each canine costs tens of thousands of dollars to train, the official said.