The Hoshangabad police in Madhya Pradesh have decided to conduct DNA testing on a Labrador in order to settle a dispute over its ownership. A 3-year-old Labrador dog will undergo a DNA test to put an end to an ownership dispute as Shadab Khan, a journalist and Kartik Shivhare, an Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader, both claim the dog is theirs.
Mr Shadab Khan alleges that his missing black Labrador, named Coco, was held captive at Mr Shivhare’s home and also claimed they were trying to sell him off. He registered a missing complaint of his dog Coco with the police in August.
Recently, he traced the dog to the house of Kartik Shivhare in Malakhedi area of the city. He went to Shivhare’s house to take the dog, but the latter resisted, claiming that he was the canine’s human and its name was Tiger. Following this, police were called. Mr Khan went to the police on November 18 with a complaint, pictures and some receipts. He also demanded a DNA test.
The next day, Mr Shivhare reached the police station with a complaint claiming the ownership of the dog.
Mr Khan claimed that he bought the dog from Pachmarhi in 2017, while Mr Shivhare said he got it from an Itarsi-based breeder a few weeks back. The police on Friday took the dog in their custody and collected its blood samples on Saturday for a DNA test to verify its parentage, and through that, its genuine owner. “DNA samples were collected on Saturday. Investigations are being conducted. We will hand over the dog to its genuine owner after DNA reports come in,” police officer Hemant Sharma said.
Surprisingly the dog is responding to both names – Coco and Tiger, and is friendly with both claimants.
