Malaysia’s Pahang police contingent awarded a German Sheppard from the K9 Unit called Lao Wu the “Jasamu Dikenang” (Appreciation) award for its work in helping track down a suspect and take down a car theft syndicate in the Ops Lejang in Pahang last year.
Lau Wu received the medal from the state police chief Abd Jalil Hassan who was represented by his deputy Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri at the monthly assembly of the Pahang police contingent headquarters on Tuesday (11 February), said the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) on its Facebook page.
Also awarded with a medal was Lao Wu’s trainer and handler Sgt S Sanmugam, who said that the five-year and eight-month-old police dog has tracked down a vehicle theft suspect on 14 November who had ran more than four kilometres into an oil palm plantation in Felda Sungai Tekam, Jerantut in Pahang.
The police had earlier shot the suspect in the leg when he tried to flee during Ops Lejang.
“We began the search operation for the suspect who was believed to have been injured at 1.45 am. Just 50 metres in, Lao Wu found a blood-stained T-shirt left behind by the suspect after wiping the blood on his leg,” said Sgt Sanmugam to Bernama after the event.
“Lao Wu was so eager to look for the suspect that I was left behind. I tripped and fell twice due to the dark surroundings and uneven ground before we reached a house in the plantation,” he added.
Sgt Sanmugam said the owner of the house said an injured man had asked for help but fled when the owner said he wanted to call the police.
The police dog, Lao Wu, then led the police team back into the plantation where they found a river at about 4 am. Sgt Sanmugan said Lao Wu swam across the river to take police to the other side where they found bloodstains.
“Lao Wu had several times exited the plantation to the road nearby before returning back.”
“Lao Wu continued to guide us to a house and eventually we found the suspect in the backyard at 10.45 am in a weak condition. He begged me not to let go of the dog.”
“The suspect admitted to having gone to the road several times, waiting for his friend to come and pick him up but he was forced to go back to the plantation as his friend did not show up,” Sgt Sanmugam explained.
The sergeant said he has been Lao Wu’s handler since 2015 when the dog was brought in from China. This is Sgt Sanmugam’s fourth police dog in his long 29 years service with the K9 unit.
