Army Dog Center in Mardan

Mardan is one of the largest cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the home of Abdul Wali Khan University, with the Buddhist ruins of Takht-i-Bahi in the district and fields of sugarcane and tobacco all around. Katlang, Rustam and Takht Bhai are among its towns, and roads lead to Swabi, Charsadda and Malakand.

Situations we are asked about in Mardan

• Shop and godown theft in the city's crowded markets.
• Vehicles taken from the roads to Swabi or Charsadda.
• A student or visitor who left the university area and cannot be reached.
• Farm equipment taken from fields around Rustam or Katlang.

Sugarcane and tobacco crops cover the plain for much of the year, and offenders can leave through the fields without ever using a road. Tall crops hide movement entirely, which is exactly the situation in which scent work is most valuable. The city's markets, on the other hand, are so busy that a scene is trodden over within minutes.

Close the doorway or gate as soon as you find the loss, and ask a trusted person to guard it. Tell us whether you are in the city or in a village, the nearest road, and the time. Call the police on 15 for serious crimes, then Army Dog Center on 0300-5780720, any hour.

If a student or young person has gone missing, check only the obvious places first and then stop. Repeated searching of the same rooms and lanes mixes many scents, which makes the work harder. Instead, note who was last in contact, which phone they carried, and the time of the last message.