Posing as activist, woman walks away with family’s dog

A 47yearold Ayurvedic medicine seller has filed a complaint accusing a woman and her accomplices of forcibly taking his pet German Shepherd posing as animal activists The MIDC police have booked Hema Chaudhary and two others Complainant Dhoom Singh said his wife three sons and daughter are inconsolable after being separated from their petOriginally from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh Singh came to Mumbai to sell herbs and Ayurvedic medicines from his van Barring monsoon when they do farming the family spends rest of the year in cities selling what he called ldquojadi bootirdquo Singh has stayed put on a pavement near the Western Express Highway in Andheri EastOn March 13 evening Singh said Chaudhary and two men came to him and forcibly put his dog Jimmy in a vehicle She allegedly abused his family and threatend to burn his medicine van after they vehemently protested As passersby gathered the 2yearold female dog became restless Seeing her Chaudhary calmed the dog and apparently told the crowd that they were government officials and one of them was from an NGO She allegedly said they were taking the dog for a medical checkupSinghrsquos family said Jimmy has been with them since she was a tiny pupThe accused took the dog to a house at Anand Nagar in Jogeshwari Singh and his wife accompanied them ldquoAt Jogeshwari she asked me to sign a paper that said I cannot he take care of the dog so Irsquom giving it to her NGOrdquo said SinghldquoWhen I refused to sign the paper Chaudhary and her accomplices threw me and my wife out the house They said even if Modi or Sonia Gandhi came there they wonrsquot return the dogrdquo said SinghThe nomadic herb seller said his entire family is in shock for the past 10 days ldquoMy 16yearold daughter who is deeply attached to the dog is not eating properly since the She has promised to visit the church in the vicinity and light two dozen candles if Jimmy returns safelyrdquo said the distraught fatherSingh said his brother has a male and female dog in their hometown and Jimmy was born to them He said Jimmy has been with his family since she was one and a half month old ldquoShe has been visiting places with us We would feed her milk and bread in the morning roti and vegetables in the afternoon and chicken in the eveningEarlier attemptOn March 8 and 10 Singh said some people tried to snatch away Jimmy When Singh called the police they said he was not taking care of the dog well ldquoThe police explained to them that every person has the right to raise an animal After that they handed over Jimmy to me and went backrdquo said SinghlsquoMy intention was not wrongrsquoChaudhary said she runs an NGO named Bezuban Public Welfare Trust that feeds over 2000 animals in the city daily She said a few activist informed her that the dog was kept in a poor condition ldquoWhen we tried to take the dog Dhoom Singh and his family members started arguing and abusing I called the police control four times but they didnrsquot turn up I took the animal with me for treatment I was accompanied by Dhoom Singh and two members of his familyrdquoChaudhary said Singh did not have any documents related to the dog ldquoWhen we did a medical checkup two days ago it was revealed she had a high fever and low platelet countrdquo Chaudhary said she promised Singh that she would good care of the dog ldquoI also told him that if he wants he can come to see the dog anytime My intention was never wrong I have told this to the police as well but they registered a case against merdquo She claimed that Menaka Gandhi had called the police in this regard but the cops didnrsquot take the callCanrsquot we keep a petReena Richard an animal activist and a lawyer who helped Singh file the police complaint said she learnt about the dog after Chaudhary posted photos and videos on FacebookldquoIn one of the videos Hema is seen belittling Dhoom Singh for his wish to keep a German Shepherd as a pet because he was a lsquobanjararsquo and selling lsquojadi bootirsquo on the roadside and didnrsquot have a house She further states that shersquos having all the authority to take away his pet dog as she is from an NGOrdquo Richard said Chaudhary boasted of having the backing of Maneka GandhildquoMany animal activists are misusing the term lsquoNGOrsquo and using muscle power and influence to do illegal things and suppress the poor and helpless If anyone is aggrieved by a banjara keeping a German Shepherd as a pet then they can use the available laws and remedies Taking away someonersquos pet dog without his consent is theftrdquo Animal activist Salim Charania president of nonprofit Empowering Hands Foundation said many animal activist act as law enforcers to seize animalsldquoLater they give the said animals for adoption and collect donations This is completely illegal only a magistrate has the power to decide the custody of an animal in case of cruelty In such a case the animal will be sent to SPCA for temporary custody No NOG or activist has the right to seize any animals or act as an agent of the authoritiesrdquoNavani an animal welfare officer appointed by the Bombay High Court Chaudhary violated the law by pretending herself as a government official and pressuring the owner to give a letter of surrendering the animal No arrests have been made said the police