Vizag auto driver steals friend's dog sells it for Rs 20,000, nabbed

Visakhapatnam: The Vizag police are on the lookout for an auto driver who allegedly sold a friend's pet dog when it was under his care. To the owner's relief, the police have found the dog, while his rogue friend is in the hiding.

The police said complainant N Srinivas, a civil contractor, is a resident of Jai Bharatnagar near Barma Colony. The animal lover has a dog as his pet.

Recently, Srinivas and his family went to Vijayawada for some urgent work and he asked his friend and neighbour Nagendra, an autorickshaw driver, to take care of the dog for a few days.

Nagendra kept the dog at his place for two days and then allegedly sold it to a resident of Kobbari Thota for Rs 20,000.

When Srinivas returned to Vizag and asked about his pet, Nagendra said it had gone missing from his home. The auto driver claimed he couldn't trace the dog despite much efforts. The heartbroken owner filed a complaint at Kancharapalem police station.

On Saturday morning, Nagendra told Srinivas that he had some information about the missing dog and asked him to pay Rs 4,000 for its whereabouts. Srinivas immediately paid the amount and was told that his pet dog was with a person at Kobbari Thota.

When the Kancharapalem police and Srinivas visited Kobbari Thota, they found the dog with a man, who said he had bought the animal for Rs 20,000 from Nagendra. The police then handed over the dog to Srinivas.

The police said they have registered a case against Nagendra for theft and cheating under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code. The auto driver is still at large