Mumbai: New breed of criminals extorting money by accusing pet owners of cruelty

Activists of the cityrsquos topmost animal NGO People for Animals led by MP Maneka Gandhi have been booked by Sion police for threatening pet parents with police complaints and extorting them Three activistsmdashLata Parmar who is the president of PFA Mumbai Bimlani Navani and Mohit Chawremdashhave also been booked recently for forging the stamp of Sion police in a letter about rescuing a Dalmatian dog from Thane Cops said there are several cases filed against them at different police stationsCops said Lata Parmar leader of the group has two cases of extortion assault and charges of deterring a public servant from performing dutiesFrom left Lata Parmar Bimlesh Navani and Mohit ChawreThe complainants have alleged that the accused would keep a watch around their homes for a couple of days and take photos of their pets And then the group would harass the pet parent by threatening to register a police case against for animal cruelty The group would take the pets away and sometimes even took money from the complainantsPFA founder and Lok Sabha MP Maneka Gandhi has however denied the allegations and stated that Parmar was not involved in any forgery or extortion She further said that Parmar has done exemplary work to save pets and that the case was a ruse to defame the PFAParmarrsquos post on Facebook on the alleged rescue of the DalmatianChawre one of the booked accused told midday ldquoI am not at all involved in extortion or any criminal activity I had gone to Thane as I was called by my friend Balu Mhatre Now I wonrsquot work with these peoplerdquoThe Sion caseAs per the recent FIR filed by Sion police a few PFA members had gone to Vedant construction site on Ghodbunder Road Thane on March 3 and found a Dalmatian dog They allegedly threatened Bindu Kumar Singh an employee who was present there Singh then called the owner Akshay Zade When Zade talked to Bimlesh Navani Parmarrsquos associate he allegedly said they were taking the dog and that Zade could get the dog a few days later after showing necessary documentsA copy of the fake police letter in the Dalmatian rescue caseThe PFA members then allegedly threatened Singh to sign a paper that read ldquoI am surrendering my dog called Jackie breed Dalmatian to animal rights activist Mohit Chawre appointed by Ms Maneka Sanjay Gandhi People for Animals Mumbai I am giving this dog because I am not able to take care of the dogrdquoOn the same day animal activist Ravi Bhatnagar saw a photo of the document and the dog posted by Parmar on Facebook and noticed that the sign of the police officer and stamp of Sion police didnrsquot match Further it looked like someone had cut out the signature and pasted it on the documentBhatnagar then called Zade to ask if he had handed over the dog following which Zade narrated the ordeal Bhatnagar then complained to the DG Maharashtra Mumbai Commissioner Joint CP Law and order DCP zone 4 as well as Sion policeAfter due inquiry Sion police registered an offence against Lata Parmar Bimlesh Navani and Mohit Chawre under sections 384 extortion 420 cheating 465 forgery 468 forgery for the purpose of cheating 500 defamation 34 common intention 467 forgery of valuable security will and 471 using forged document as genuine of the IPCldquoWe have registered an offence against the accused and she Parmar was called for inquiry The investigation is underway We decide on the course of action depending on the findingsrdquo said Vijay Patil DCP Zone 4Bhatnagar said ldquoThese people are running rackets in the country in the garb of activism They barge into homes and offices of people who keep pets and threaten them They extort money They are not less than mafias and have political backing as wellrdquoManekaSpeakPFA President Maneka Gandhi told midday ldquoWe are taking care of animals Lata Parmar has helped many animals including dogs and cats who were kept in poor condition Parmar helped these animals and kept them in the shelter Lata Parmar did not forge any documents and there is no extortion in this case at all In this case Parmar helped a Dalmatian dog who was in poor condition and sent the dog to shelterrdquoExplaining the fake police sign she said ldquoAfter sending the dog to the shelter Parmar had asked Mohit Chawre to go to the police station and get the police to sign the letter However the police refused to give him a letter So Chawre forged the document and gave it to Parmar which she uploaded on Facebook There is no monetary benefit in this Lata Parmar gave her entire life for the animals This drama has been created to defame PFArdquoEarlier casesThis is not the first time Parmar and her coworkers were booked for extortion In March Navani and Hema Choudhary an animal activist were booked by MIDC police for allegedly taking a German Shepherd from Dhum Roshan Singh a roadside herbal seller They had allegedly threatened him with police action for not handing over the dogIn February this year another case was filed against them with the Sion police wherein the complainant Ravindra Naidu a businessman and animal lover had alleged that a PFA member had visited his office and demanded R1 lakh for not filing a case against him for alleged mistreatment of dogs and pigeons and took away the animalsParmar has also been booked by Jogeshwari police in 2015 and Vishnu Nagar Police station Thane in 2021ldquoThese activists threaten pet owners over not having any documents or finding any illness Most pet owners donrsquot have documents or licences for their pets and thatrsquos how they start extorting them Fearing police action many owners hand over their pets and money Such victims should come forward and register police complaints so that such activists face the lawrdquo a cop said