KOCHI: At a time when the state is witnessing a tussle over culling of stray dogs, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was at the receiving end of dog lovers’ wrath for allegedly using tranquillisers on the pet dog of an accused in the multi-crore education scam on Friday.
The incident unfolded at Elamakkara near Kochi when the ED was attaching the house of Kavitha Pillai, who allegedly cheated several persons by promising to arrange medical seats in premier medical colleges in the state.
An ED official told ‘Express’ Pillai had been served a notice to vacate the house as part of attachment procedures. She was asked to shift all her objects from the house. When the ED reached her house, they only found her pet dog locked in the kennel.
“We followed usual procedures and sealed the main door of the house and returned. Despite the notice to shift all goods, she left some items and the dog there. We left the pet in the kennel and completed the procedures,” the official said, adding, “People in the neighbourhood were feeding it.”
However, the situation changed a few hours later, after the ED office received phone calls alleging that officials tranquillized the dog before entering the compound. Some callers even threatened to raise the matter with the office of Union Minister Maneka Gandhi. The ED, however, rubbished the charges.
“Someone wrongly spread rumours that we entered Pillai’s house after tranquillising the dog with the help of a shooter. No such incident took place,” the official stated.
“Pillai or any of her relatives can take the dog any time. It was inside the kennel when we entered the compound. When we checked the kennel in the evening, it was still there,” the official claimed.