A specially-trained sniffer dog engaged in the bomb disposal squad of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) saved many lives on Sunday by successfully detecting an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by suspected Maoists on an under-construction road in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district.

The dog named Sophia, also known as 'Shiksha', saved lives of her colleagues and people involved in the road construction. Sophia foiled the possible explosion by detecting a 7 kg IED on the under-construction road between Bega Salewara to Samudpani near Pandaripani village in Bakarkatta are in Rajnandgaon district. The Malinois breed dog was on a search and combing operation with the troops of 40th Battalion of the ITBP when she alerted her colleagues about the IED. The IED was later destroyed by the ITBP on the spot, the paramilitary force said.

The Malinois is one of four types of Belgian shepherd dogs registered in Belgium and France as the Chien de Berger Belge. The Malinois shares a common foundation with the Belgian Sheepdog and the Belgian Tervuren. The Malinois was bred basically around the city of Malines from whence the name is derived. The dog is used by the paramilitary forces and other state police forces in detecting bombs and IEDs.

According to sources, had the IED not been detected early in the morning, the rebels would have triggered it later in the day, inflicting heavy casualties on paramilitary personnel and equipment.