Police dog Lea sniffs out unconscious mob-beating victim

The keen nose of police dog Lea may have proved to be the difference between life and death for an Ntuzuma‚ KwaZulu-Natal man who had been beaten by a mob and left for dead.

It is understood that the man had been badly beaten on Tuesday night and had gone missing in his attempt to flee. It is unclear what he had been accused of.

Bleeding and disoriented‚ the man had fled from his attackers‚ seeking refuge in a thicket near the Gobhogobho Secondary School in the suburb‚ north of Durban. He had lost consciousness as a result of the beating. His mother had reported him missing to the police later that evening.

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Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said Search and Rescue Unit dog handlers had begun a search at the school where the injured man had last been seen.

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“The dog led [police] into the surrounding bushes and they located the victim near the main gate. He managed to wake up and it was ascertained that he had head injuries as well as a possible fractured right arm. The victim was taken to hospital for medical attention. No case has been opened at this stage‚” Zwane said.