COIMBATORE: Residents of Saramedu near Karumbukadai are worried at the rate in which pet animals, especially cats, are being stolen in the neighbourhood. On Tuesday, they lodged a complaint with Kuniyamuthur police, voicing suspicion about the involvement of vegetable vendors belonging to a particular community in the thefts.
“On Sunday, a cat belonging to a resident at Thippu Nagar went missing. While the owner was searching for cat, it was found that two men were carrying the cat in a sack on a bike. The men had come to the locality a few hours ago to sell vegetables, When locals caught them, they freed the animal and apologized. They escaped from the place before we could question them further. We have lodged a complaint with police,” said K Kaleel Rahman, who runs a tea stall at Saramedu.
According to Rahman, the vendors hail from Dindigul district and buy vegetables at the MGR market. “We suspect the pets are stolen because the particular community of people eat cat meat” Rahman said adding, “We urged the police to look into whether they use the pet animals for meat or sell them outside.”
An officer in Kuniyamuthur police station said they received a complaint over the phone and sent a team for inquiry. “The residents claim to have lost more than ten pets in recent months, and they accused a group of strangers who frequent the area to sell vegetables of stealing their pets. No formal complaint has been received yet, “he added.