Gurgaon: Retired air force officer assaulted, pet dog snatched near Vatika City

The retired officer BR Mehta, 82, was walking Hobbes – the Labrador – in a park outside the housing society on Tuesday evening when a man snatched the dog from him.

A retired air force wing commander was assaulted and his 9-year-old golden Labrador retriever was snatched outside the exit gate of Vatika city in Sector 49.

Hobbes was snatched outside Vatika City on Tuesday. His owner has announced a reward to anyone who helps find him. (HT/Photo)

The retired officer BR Mehta, 82, was walking Hobbes – the Labrador – in a park outside the housing society on Tuesday evening when a man snatched the dog from him.

The incident took place a few days after residents of an upscale condominium, Belvedere Tower, complained to its management about some pet owners throwing dog excreta from their apartments. The association put up a notice appealing to residents to help in identifying the culprit.

“He (Mehta) was walking the dog outside the society when a man, in his early twenties, approached him and offered to assist in walking the dog. When refused, the man assaulted him, pushed him down and snatched Hobbes,” Shailen Chawla, son-in-law of Mehta, said.

Mehta was not injured as he fell on a grassy patch. The family approached the Sadar police station, and police filed a daily diary report on Tuesday. An FIR was registered on Wednesday on charges of assault and snatching. A full-grown Labrador retriever costs over Rs 20,000 in the market.

Chawla shared a handout appealing to residents to help in searching Hobbes. “Please help me find him – he is a precious dog, anyone helping find him will be rewarded (sic),” the handout shared among the residents read. Chawla said whoever finds Hobbes would be rewarded suitably.

In April 2016, a family in DLF Phase 3 area launched an online campaign to find their pet Thumki -- a female Indian breed dog. They had announced a reward of Rs 5,000 that was later increased to Rs 10,000. The dog was found by a dog lover at the Central park, Golf Course Road, 33 days after it went missing .