CHENNAI: Three days after a five-year-old Golden Retriever was stolen from a house in T Nagar by a two-member gang that came in a car, and with the police not being very helpful, the pet owner Sharath Ravi is taking the help of social media to trace the dog Jackie.
CCTV footage recorded on Friday night (July 26) showed that the gang had meticulously surveyed the stretch at North Usman Road, where Sharath’s house is located. After noticing that the pet was roaming free, they lured it by offering biscuits and befriended it.
Sharath’s friend Rahim told Express, “Jackie always roams free in the house and would never be tied. Sharath used to return only around 2 am after his night shift at an IT firm. After that, they both usually had food together. Their house is on the first floor and Jackie used to come down and wait near the gate every night for Sharath.”
This was exploited by the gang. The CCTV footage showed a young man loitering on the road around 10.30 pm and leaving the spot in a car after noticing the dog. He returned around 11.30 pm in a white Tata Indigo car which also had a ‘Uber’ sticker on it. This time he had brought a few biscuits with him and lured Jackie by putting them in front of the gate. He had also opened the gate of the house a little to allow Jackie to come to the road. After that, the man went into the car and flashes showed that he clicked a few photos of Jackie.
“Then, a woman, who appeared to be in her late 20s, came out of the car and started pampering the dog. She tried to lift Jackie and place her inside the car but she could not lift the heavy dog,” said Rahim. But she soon went to the driver's seat in the car and opened the door of the front seat in the car. As Jackie placed his front legs inside, the other man suddenly pushed Jackie into the car and the vehicle immediately left the spot.
Sharath realised that the dog was missing when he returned from work later in the night. Sharath’s father P Ravi lodged a complaint at the Pondy Bazaar police station on Saturday. However, Rahim said the police did not register a case saying “it is just a dog.” Police also said the CCTV cameras installed in the area are dysfunctional. So, the family sought the help of a shopkeeper nearby who has a CCTV camera installed. They handed over the footage to the police since it pointed to a well-planned racket.
After the family took to social media and brought the issue to the attention of a few senior police officers, police have accepted the complaint and made an entry in the Community Service Register. The family suspects that the gang had stolen the pet because this breed of dog is sold for up to Rs 1 lakh in the market. The family has also sought the help of ‘Uber’ to trace the car. But the registration number is not clear in the CCTV footage.
Anyone with a clue about the missing pet can contact Rahim at 9941739339 and Sharath Ravi at 9176683400.