MANGALURU: In the sweltering heat of BC Road, 53-year-old Sudheer Rao is waging a desperate search for his two beloved pet dogs. What began as a routine day in his sound equipment rental business on April 23 turned into a nightmare when he returned home to find Tommy, a two-and-a-half-year-old dog, and her six-month-old pup missing. The mother-daughter pair had been more than pets-they were part of Rao’s family, which includes his wife and son.
After combing the neighbourhood with no success, Rao grew suspicious of a neighbour. When confronted, the man initially denied any involvement. But under Rao’s insistence that he swear on God, the neighbour admitted to tying the dogs’ limbs and mouths, placing them in sacks, and abandoning them at a dumpyard 30 km away in BC Road.
Rao rushed to the site and searched for hours that first day, but found no trace. Since then, he has been making daily trips, honking his scooter horn in the hope the dogs might recognise the sound and return, while also asking nearby residents if they have seen them.
With no leads, Rao approached the Puttur Rural Police and filed a complaint. Acting on it, the police summoned the neighbour and directed him to accompany Rao to the dumpyard and show the exact location where the dogs had been left. Despite retracing the route, the search yielded no results, deepening Rao’s anxiety.
Animal activist Mamata Rao from Puttur has now joined the search, sharing videos on social media and preparing to distribute flyers to gather information.