Bholi, the Persian cat, has probably begun the second of a feline’s legendary nine lives. She was lost and found, and after a cat and mouse game, and the cat thief is counting the bars of a prison cell.
Narrating the dramatic tale centered around his pet, advocate Naushad Khan of Royapuram, says, “It all began around 11 p.m. on Saturday night when Bholi was playing in front of the house. Suddenly, my neighbours spotted a young man putting the cat in a bag. Before I could reach him, he sped away into the night with another man on a motorcycle,” he recalls.
Mr. Khan dialled 100 and complained about the theft of his pet and also tried to lodge a case with the Royapuram police station. “I was hurt when policemen ridiculed my complaint stating that it is just a cat. Obviously, they don’t understand the feeling of a passionate animal lover,” he complains.
Desperate searchThe rest of the night was filled with edgy moments for the advocate and some of his animal lover pals who combed the city till daybreak in search of Bholi. As they hunted through the night, Khan recalled the ‘Sunday animal market’ locally known as ‘Kozhi’ market which opens every week at a specific spot on Amman Koil Street in Broadway.
Turns out their hunch was right. Around 7 a.m. on Sunday, Khan spotted a young man with his pet cat peeping out of a plastic bag. The price fixed for Bholi was Rs. 5,000. “I approached him, still wearing my helmet, and called out to my cat and she responded. My friends and I nabbed the seller and took him to the Muthialpet police station,” he explains.
The case was shifted to the Royapuram police who later arrested the suspect, identified as Suresh Chidambaramurugesan (27) of Old Washermanpet, and sent him to prison for theft.
Bholi the cat and her owner, to complete the tale, were re-united happily.
