It is a time of great pupheaval for the Kothari family and their six-month-old pet Labrador, Neo. Three months after the Goregaon-based family trusted a family friend to take care of Neo for a few days while they went on holiday, the pet sitter is yet to return their dog. It turned out she had no intention of returning him at all, and she had even given them a fake address.

Goregaon businessman Saurabh Kothari and his family had purchased Neo as a 40-day-old pup in July 2017. "We had planned a family vacation for October, so we were searching for a kennel or a sitter who could care for our pet for four days," said Saurabh.