A tracker dog of the K9 police dog Squad, Jerry, was felicitated for his role in cracking several criminal cases. The Labrador retriever’s role in solving a murder case at Kadakkavoor, five years ago, was applauded by the court.

State Police Chief Anil Kant presented him the DGP’s commendation medal on Tuesday in recognition of his efforts. The cash award was presented to his handlers, Vishnu Shankar V.S. and Anoop M.V. by ADGP (Headquarters) Manoj Abraham.

Jerry played a crucial role in the murder case of a woman in Kadakkavoor in December, soon after joining service with the Thiruvananthapuram Rural police in 2016. The dog led the investigation team to the house of Manikandan after sniffing blood from a knife that was recovered by the police, who was recently found guilty in the case.

Jerry assisted the police in solving many other cases, including three murder cases in the Palode and Kilimanoor police station limits during his five years of service. Jerry was the winner of the best tracker award during the fifth batch police dog training 2015-16 conducted by the State Dog Training School under the Kerala Police Academy in Thrissur.