PETALING JAYA: A group of “dog-nappers” are targeting stray canines and even stealing pooches from their owners here and in Subang Jaya.
A 58-year-old woman lost her three-year-old female Shih Tzu to two men while walking it in Sunway Mentari at about 7.40am on Sunday.
The woman told police that two men in a car pulled over before the driver stepped out, cut off the dog leash and escaped with the animal.
Risa Tung, 39, told theSun yesterday that it was routine for her mother to walk their Shih Tzu named Cotton every day.
“After the driver of the heavily tinted car stepped out, he asked my mother if Cotton was hers and when she said yes, he grabbed it and fled,” Tung said.
“We have been searching for her, especially at pet shops, just in case she was sold. A neighbour also told us that a man on a motorcycle had been going around the area making threats of abduction of pet dogs.”
Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Nik Ezanee Mohd Faizal said yesterday he had instructed the criminal investigation department to look into the case.
Subang Jaya resident Sivalingam Seenivasagam, 60, related a similar incident last April when he lost his 10-year-old chihuahua to “dog-nappers” and had to pay a “ransom” for it.
He had taken the dog to his sister’s house in Taman Tan Yew Lai, off Old Klang Road, and kept it in a cage.
Sivalingam said two men climbed over the fence and stole the dog. He then put up posters of the dog in the area to alert residents.
“I put my phone number on the poster. Days later, I received a call from a man who claimed he had found my dog. He demanded RM1,000 for its return. I told him that I am a retiree and could not afford that much. He lowered it to RM500. He brought the dog over and I paid him the cash,” he said.
Sivalingam, who chose not to lodge a police report, said thieves often targeted small and popular dog breeds.
Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation Petaling Jaya district chairman Eric Chew said if the matter is not addressed by authorities, it could end up with children being targeted.
“It is a very dangerous trend as these ‘dog-nappers’ know where the dog owners live and have watched their movements,” he said.
“If left unaddressed, this trend can develop into the kidnapping of people as kidnappers can expect a higher payout for the release of their victims.”
