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Jayasimha NG, my great pal at PETA, called me up with a very sad story of an old woman who had been cheated by a vet. 70 year old Mrs. Spencer, living alone with her two cats, asked her vet to find shelter for her cats, whom she was no longer able to care for.

The doctor,  Y. Dhage, on the pretext of giving the animals to an NGO (Jeev Raksha) said the shelter would take care of her cats for a ‘donation’ of Rs. 10,000. As soon as he got the money, he started evading Mrs. Spencer’s calls. The distraught lady made many attempts to find any information on Jeev Raksha so that she could see her cats and reassure herself of their well-being. When the vet was confronted, he came up with a story about the cats being with his friend in Chandan Nagar. However, he refused to let Mrs. Spencer meet this person or return her money. He then claimed that the cats had run away.

I went to the police and asked them to take immediate action. They brought Dhage to the police station and I called up Mrs. Spencer. The vet stuck to his story and called up several politicians who started calling the police on duty. I called one of them back and asked him if he really wanted to get entangled in this case. The politician excused himself and promised not to interfere. This also increased my resolve to take Dhage head on.

Jaya soon joined me and he cornered Dhage. Jaya explained Dhage’s legal position to him, and the repercussions that his actions would have on his career and credibility. I made it clear to the police that they were duty bound to lodge an FIR against this person under section 419 / 420 of IPC apart from PCA Act 1960 and Sections 489 of IPC. The police refused to comply. I was told – “Please submit an application and come tomorrow.” I was perplexed. The cop asked me, “Do you understand?” I replied, “I do understand, but I do not agree.” This shocked him. I insisted on asserting my rights. Dhage came in and suggested a compromise.

He promised to search for and return the cats and the money by morning.The next day, after a long search with Mrs. Spencer, Dhage declared that the cat could not be found.

I got him to come to the police station and then insisted on his being arrested and sent to jail for the night. After hours of negotiations and crying, Dhage finally admitted his guilt and explained that he had left the cats in Ahmednagar with his sister. I was on the verge of completely destroying his career by arresting him, exposing him in the press, and influencing the Veterinary Council of India. After looking at his state of mind, I decided not to.

I left the place heavy-hearted, watching the old woman cry for her cats and still hoping that they would come back. I re-affirm that the police need to be tackled in the right way. Most of them are conscientious and can be made to act as per the law. They need to be respected and shown exactly what the law says. And they need to understand that the goons are damn cowards and will run away with their tails between their legs if challenged.