A Rottweiler abandoned by Shankar Pandey, an accused in the murder case of hotel owner Vineet Rai and carrying a reward of ₹1 lakh on his arrest, was rescued from Pandey’s Gausabad house in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district, police said on Wednesday.
The Rottweiler, known as Michael, was locked inside Pandey’s 2,000-square-foot house for 26 days after Pandey and his kin fled on the night of May 29, following the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Rai by three bike-borne assailants in the Phullanpur–Fattehpur Sikandar area.
Police officers said they received information about a dog being locked inside the house from locals who used to offer him food.
“The dog used to walk inside the house and whenever he barked or seemed hungry, neighbors would toss food and water to him over the gate. Thus, following his owner’s flight to evade arrest, Michael’s survival depended entirely on the neighbours’ kindness,” an officer said.
A team of officials, including Sadar Tehsildar Rajiv Yadav, Sadar Kotwali Station House Officer (SHO) Pramod Kumar Singh and veterinary expert Dr Hasnain Ansari, rescued the Rottweiler from Pandey’s house in Gausabad.
“Michael lost consciousness about half an hour after being administered sedatives. Subsequently, a team from the animal husbandry department climbed over the boundary wall, muzzled Michael, and brought the canine safely out. He was taken to the government veterinary hospital, where he underwent a health check-up and arrangements were made for his feeding,” Dr Ansari said, adding that the dog will be kept in a safe location.
A senior police officer said that Pandey, the chief of the Katra gang, which has committed various crimes, including murder, kidnapping and loot, among others, has been on the run since the attackers, who were allegedly lying in wait, opened fire on Rai as he stepped out of the hotel before fleeing the scene on May 29.
A case was registered at the Kotwali police station against four people—Kamlesh Chaudhary, Shankar Pandey, Alok Dubey and Sonu Yadav—and some unidentified persons.
Chaudhary was killed in a police encounter on the night of June 4. Meanwhile, the police have announced a reward of ₹1 lakh each for Shankar Pandey, Alok Dubey and Sonu Yadav.
