Two months after a Navi Mumbai-based vegetable exporter lodged a complaint against two people for killing his pet dog and cheating him , the police have finally registered an FIR against the duo
A staff member at Sai Malhar in MIDC sent of Tommy
Two months after a Navi Mumbai-based vegetable exporter lodged a complaint against two people, including a doctor, for killing his pet dog and cheating him out of his money, the police have finally registered a FIR against the duo.
The complainant, Uday Raul, 36, exports chilli to Dubai and other states within the country. Because Raul shuttles between cities as part of his job, owning a dog had been the last thing on his mind. However, around three years ago, when he was driving to Tarapur, Boisar for work, he happened to come across a one-month-old abandoned pup on the road.
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Uday Raul on WhatsApp
"I was going to meet some farmers when I found him. He looked weak, hungry and tired. While I had no intentions of keeping him, I eventually decided to look after him and ensure he received timely treatment," recalled Raul.
Finding the dog a home
The stray dog, whom he named Tommy, has been living with him ever since. However, recently, he had to visit Dubai to meet a client. Since, he was going to be away for an extended period of time, he decided to keep the pet at a dog-lodging centre for a year.
Uday Raul with his pet
A common friend suggested that he keep his pet at Sai Malhar, a care home for pets, in MIDC. Following the recommendation, he met up with Dr Deepak Khot, who runs the centre. They told him that they charged R3,000 per month. Raul agreed to the said amount, and also signed a few advance cheques, stating that they could withdraw it on the fifth of every month.
He was then introduced to a person named Devesh Dakat, who was tasked with the job of looking after the pets.
A photo of Tommy taken three years ago
In his complaint, Raul said that he told Dakat that he would give him an additional amount of R500 per month, to look after his pet. He also requested Dakat to WhatsApp him photos of his pet regularly.
The big con
In May this year, Raul left for Dubai after handing over Tommy to Dr Khot and his team.
Photographs that Devesh Dakat
In the beginning, Dakat, as promised, sent him photos of Tommy from time to time, and updated him about his health. However, suddenly, after a few days, the messages stopped coming. When Raul called Dakat, and enquired about his pet, the latter said that he was unable to send photos, as the Internet on his phone wasn't working. This continued for a few days. Sensing something amiss, Raul asked his sister to visit the centre and check on Tommy.
But, when she visited the centre on June 6, she was told that the pet had died a few days earlier on June 1, and that he had already been buried. "The news came as a huge shock because nobody from the centre had even bothered to inform me about Tommy's death. Also, if Tommy had died, why did they deposit my cheque on June 5. I wanted justice for my pet," asked Raul.
When Raul returned to India in June, he decided to visit the centre. As evidence, Raul showed them the last photograph that Dakat had sent of Tommy, where the pet had been kept in a cage. However, neither Dr Khot nor Dakat were forthcoming with a response as to why they had caged the pet, or the reason behind his death.
He then went ahead and filed a complaint against the duo at the New Panvel police station for killing his pet. In his complaint, he also claimed that while the doctor was running the dog care centre, he had asked Raul to write the cheques in his wife's name instead.
After two months of investigation, the police registered an FIR against Dr Khot and Devesh under Section 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal of the value of ten rupees) of the Indian Penal Code, this week. "Investigations are still on," said a police official.
When contacted, Dr Khot said, "Raul is a pet lover and we respect his feelings, but the allegations are baseless. The day he died, there was heavy rain and lightning in the night. Scared, the dog started biting the cage, which caused excessive bleeding. When my staff arrived at the centre in the morning, he was already dead. We also tried contacting Raul, but could not get through him."
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