Tracing ‘Shadow’: Forensics team likely to be roped in now

A woman in Prayagraj has sought the help of forensic experts after her pug, Shadow, was allegedly abducted by her relatives. The woman has provided hair strands and CCTV footage as evidence. The police commissioner has ordered an investigation into the case.

It’s a plot befitting a racy crime thriller. Old enmity, abduction, and finally...some clues.

The missing pug ‘Shadow’. (Sourced)

The victim here, however, is a small black pug whose owner has approached the top rung officials to get it back.

The only clue she has are hair strands stuck to a bag, and CCTV footage that possibly shows the ‘crime’ being committed in full glare.

But these seem futile for the Prayagraj police to crack the case of missing pug Shadow. Thus, the cops might take help of the forensic experts now and trace the canine after its owner approached senior officials with a request to help her retrieve it.

The owner of Shadow is a woman lawyer Mahak Singh who claims that her ‘child’ has been abducted by her relatives who live on the upper floor of her house.

She claims the pug was stuffed in a bag and abducted three days back and despite a complaint, the cops at the local police station showed no interest in tracing her. The woman lawyer with the help of some animal rights activists has recovered the bag which was used for abducting Shadow.

A resident of Gud Mandi locality under Kotwali police station, lawyer Mahak Singh in her complaint given to Prayagraj police commissioner on Thursday claimed that she and her family were not on good terms with her uncle who lives in a portion of their house. To harass her, her uncle and his son abducted Shadow on October 24. The CCTV footage showed that the duo was going out of the house with a bag and since then Shadow has also been missing.

With the help of animal rights activist Vanshika and her aides, Mahak found the bag which was seen in the CCTV footage.

“My uncle has sprayed perfume in the bag in a bid to remove the smell of Shadow. However, we have found strands of Shadow’s hair in the bag which proves that the bag was used for carrying it to some other place. I have doubts that Shadow has been abandoned at some deserted spot or has been sold to some dog breeder out of old enmity. Shadow, who is barely 1.5 years old, is extremely attached to me and it eats food only from my hands. Since the past three days, me and my family have not eaten food as we are upset over her abduction,” Mahak shared.

“Despite making a complaint to the Kotwali police, my uncle and his son were not questioned following which I had approached senior police officials for help. Police should question my uncle and his son to trace Shadow and should get help from experts to match the strands of hair found in the bag and the ones I have collected from my house. If they match, it will be established that Shadow was abducted in the same bag,” said Mahak.

She further said that she has also shared the photographs and details of Shadow on social media platforms in a bid to trace it.

Commissioner of police said instructions have been issued to Kotwali police to help the woman in tracing her dog. If necessary, police will take help of experts to match the strands of hair found in the bag as part of investigation and establish the facts in the case, he added.