In the memory of a great son of India:
A police dog who played a major role in the 26/11
operations passed away due to an ailment on Friday. The
sniffer dog named Max had played a key role during the
2008 Mumbai attacks and saved lives by searching 1 IED,
1 hand grenade in front of the Taj hotel. The white
Labrador had retired from the Mumbai police in 2015,
and was housed in a Virar farm, which serves as a
retirement home. During the Mumbai attack operations,
the dog had detected 8kg of RDX outside Taj Mahal
Palace Hotel. According to a leading daily, despite Max’s
heroics, not a single police officer was present when he
was laid to rest, wrapped in a tricolour.
While most police officers were busy with IPL duty, his
caretaker Fizzaz Shah and former handler Subhash
Gawde bid farewell to him. Max was born on Oct 28,
2004 and was bought as a puppy by Mumbai’s Bomb
Detection and Disposal Squad. He was later sent to a
training centre in Pune and was inducted into the squad
in 2005.
His trainer Gawde reminisced about Max’s role to a
leading daily: “When I opened the bag, I found 8 kg of
RDX, four detonators, ball bearings and other shrapnel.
They were the first explosives detected at the site. After
the explosives were secured and put away, we entered
the hotel. Just then, one of the terrorists threw a
grenade from a floor above us. It missed us and
exploded next to us. It's a miracle we were not
wounded."
Max found a total of 25 grenades in the hotel reception
area and was awarded a gold medal which was placed
on him by Amitabh Bachchan. The Labrador retired last
year after 10 years of service and was adopted by Shah
along with three other dogs.
Gawde broke down during the funeral and Shah said he
didn’t know how to deal with the loss.
