Minister's missing pup traced; police face flak

A Rajasthan minister's missing pet dog has been traced, much to the relief of local police which was in the line of fire for launching a hunt for the pup at a time when it is yet to crack the shocking gangrape case in the city.

A missing complaint was filed with Sodala Police Station yesterday when the five month-old puppy was not found in the bungalow of Health Minister Rajendra Rathore since Saturday and the police started a search.

A local man brought the animal to the residence of Rathore this morning and handed over to the staff, saying he had picked him from the road during a morning walk yesterday.

"The puppy had gone out of the house on Saturday and was picked by the old man. He inquired nearby but no one claimed ownership so he took the puppy with him and was thinking of leaving the puppy at an animal shelter, but he came to know about the owner (the minister) through newspapers and brought him to us this morning," a staffer at the minister's residence said.

The police, which was engaged in search of the dog named Charlie of Beagle breed, refused to comment on the matter.

Congress targeted the police for failing to search the robbers who raped a woman and robbed her family in Vaishali Nagar on Friday last and burglars who targeted a locked house on Saturday.

"Such big crimes happened in the state capital but the police was busy in searching the dog on Sunday. This is shameful," PCC Spokesperson Archana Sharma said.