KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Move over, human detectives. There’s a new investigator in town, and he’s got four legs and a nose for tech, expertly cracking digital crimes.
Noble is the Royal Malaysia Police’s (PDRM) electronic storage detection (ESD) specialist in the K9 Unit.
This black Labrador Retriever isn’t just another police dog — behind that lolling tongue and adorable goofiness, lies a razor-sharp detective dedicated to sniffing out criminals’ hidden electronic devices.
At just one-year-old, Noble has already been registered as a government asset by the Ministry of Home Affairs and is now stationed at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) here.
Noble’s nose is his weapon. With a sniff that can detect microscopic chemical traces, he uncovers hidden electronic devices that would slip past traditional searches.
SD cards, tablets, external hard drives-no matter how well-concealed, Noble finds them.
Police Superintendent (SP), Saravanan Munusamy, the Head of the K9 Unit told Malay Mail that Noble was gifted by United States-based group, OUR Rescue, which empowers enforcement agencies globally to tackle human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.
At just one-year-old, Noble has already been registered as a government asset by the Ministry of Home Affairs and is now stationed at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur. — Picture by Raymond Manuel
Special training for handlers and maintenance
To handle this highly-skilled specialist, two human officers underwent specialised training, so they could effectively work with their four-legged digital forensics colleague.
“Two of our police officers; Inspector Alagu Mani Murugiah and Sergeant Jeeva Kumar Ponan Palam, were sent for advanced ESD training to the US.
“Upon completion of their training, OUR generously sponsored our latest good boy, Noble,” Saravanan said in a recent interview.
Noble trains daily with his handlers, Jeeva Kumar and Sergeant Roland Unus, including weekends, to maintain top performance.
His training includes searching luggage, vehicles, containers, and even underwater for electronic storage devices.
Saravanan brings decades of expertise in deploying canine units for high-stakes operations. His colleague, Sergeant Major Simon Santanasamy, meanwhile, is a skilled canine trainer with a knack for developing cutting-edge detection techniques.
Last year, the duo underwent intensive training in Thailand, preparing themselves to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated criminal strategies, before Noble’s arrival.
Noble’s list of achievements
- In the Perak murder case of 25-year-old Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah, where a police officer was accused of killing her. Noble uncovered the critical piece of evidence — an SD card linked to the suspect.
- In October 2023, Noble was instrumental in locating two mobile phones in a case involving a missing victim’s phone in Sentul.
- In February this year, Noble helped uncover multiple devices related to a child exploitation case, again helping the police to compile credible evidence against the suspect.
This post was originally published on here
