Irinjalakuda (Thrissur): Honey, the calm and loyal Labrador Retriever who served the Kerala Police for seven years, has passed away. Honey, the only police dog to win the DGP award, died at the age of eight.

Honey was a member of the Rural K-9 Squad and played a vital role in finding several culprits during her service. She contributed significantly to the investigation of the Thumbur and Chalakudy jewellery robbery cases and was instrumental in the murder investigation of a youth by guest worker in Mathilakam Bazar. For this particular achievement, Honey was awarded the DGP's Badge of Honour in 2019.

Born in Kerala in 2016, Honey was part of the initial two dogs that joined the K-9 Squad. After completing her training at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police's National Training Centre for Dogs in Haryana, Honey ranked first in the tracker category. She joined the Kerala Police in 2017 and became a part of the K-9 Squad in 2018, beginning with the Thumbur St. George's Church robbery investigation.

Her handlers and police personnel remember Honey for her exceptional tracking abilities, unmatched sense of smell, and unshakeable calmness. Navneet Sharma, the Rural District Police Chief, described her passing as an "irreparable loss" to the police force.

Key police officials, including Addl. Superintendent of Police V.A. Ullas, Rural District Special Branch DySP P Abdul Basheer, Irinjalakkuda Sub-Division Thrissur Rural DySP K.G. Suresh, K-9 Squad In-Charge P.G. Suresh, and handlers Rijesh Francis and P.R. Aneesh, paid their final tributes to Honey.

Honey was given a full state funeral as a mark of respect for her service.