Owner Alleges That Police Told Her Not To Pursue Stolen Cat Held For Ransom At RM6,000
The case is alleged to be the first ever kidnapping case that involves a cat and thousands of Malaysian ringgit.
By Wayne Garreth — 07 Sep 2022, 01:20 PM
An urgent post by the Malaysian Animal Association on Facebook has grabbed the attention of the nation since the day of its release
Opening the caption in capital letters splattered across the post, the statement read, "CRIMINAL CASE OF KIDNAPPING CAT, THREATENING AND ASKING FOR RM6,000 RANSOM FROM THE OWNER THAT NEEDS SERIOUS ATTENTION BY THE ROYAL MALAYSIAN POLICE (PDRM)."
Self-explanatory in its description, the Malaysian Animal Association released the post seeking the help of PDRM for the rescue of a missing cat, that's being held ransom for RM6,000.
The post entails a chronology of events that lead up to the current status of the whereabouts of the cat, which is still unknown
Beginning their description, the Malaysian Animal Association details the events of the past few days.
"The complain is by the owner of a cat who became aware of [the cat's] loss at approximately 11am on 1 September 2022. The area surrounding the missing animal is the housing area of Taman Kwan Ming, Kuching Sarawak."
After realising the cat was missing, the owner went through steady efforts and drafted a poster of its disappearance (as attached above) and released it on Facebook to spread the word. However, things would soon turn more grim.
"On 3 September at 4.29pm, the owner received a WhatsApp message from the person who claimed to have kidnapped the cat, including photos and videos of it," the police stated, adding that the owner did reveal that the pictures and videos are indeed of the missing cat, five-year-old Snow.
The photos and video that was sent to the owner of Snow.
Image via Persatuan Haiwan Malaysia - Malaysia Animal Association (Facebook)The kidnapper went on to demand a ransom of RM6,000 in exchange for the cat's return to its owner
The assailants provided their bank information, including name and account number, as well as notified the owner that their demands needed to be met before 6pm on 3 September. They further informed the owner that only after receiving the ransom, would they notify her of the location of her cat.
"They have threatened to throw the cat into a nearby river if they do not receive the ransom within the stipulated time frame. According to the owner, the river mentioned is deep and dangerous, feared to contain wild predators such as crocodiles. The kidnappers also warned the owner to bring the money alone, and to be mindful not to do things that could anger them," read the post.
The WhatsApp messages by the kidnapper to the owner.
Image via Persatuan Haiwan Malaysia - Malaysia Animal Association (Facebook)Within the conversation, the owner stated that they do not have the ransom amount, and could only offer up a sum of RM200. However, it was rejected by the assailant(s), who still demanded for the initial RM6,000.
Making a police report the following day, it was outlined in the post that the investigating officer advised the owner to not seek out her cat
According to the post, the police report was made at the Sekama police station in Kuching. While the name of the officer who told the owner to not seek out the cat was not revealed, the situation was further exacerbated when the officer 'promised' to get the owner a new cat in replacement of Snow.
Upon urging the officers to continue on the investigation, the owner alleged the police told her that the bank would only be able to provide information on the account holder in three months time.
The full police report of the kidnapping.
Image via Persatuan Haiwan Malaysia - Malaysia Animal Association (Facebook)Continuing on, the owner had gone to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) at Icom Square Kuching Sarawak to get the phone number belonging to the kidnapper traced, that which the initial investigating officers claimed would be hard to detect.
However, the owner was told that MCMC can only deal with the investigating officers of the case.
Pleading for the attention of PDRM Sarawak, the Malaysian Animal Association is urging the authorities to take action immediately
Drafted by the president of the Malaysian Animal Association, Arie Dwi Write, the post ended with a plea by the non-governmental organisation for action and intervention by the authorities.
"This case is the first for kidnapping involving cats, and a ransom of thousands of ringgit in Malaysia."
"[We] plead with PDRM Sarawak to take this case seriously and take immediate action to catch the cat kidnapper who threatened to throw the cat into a dangerous river. The crime of cat kidnapping should also be given serious attention and should be considered a serious crime, as it involves the lives, money, [and] emotions of the owner and the long-term safety of all parties."
After reaching out to the Malaysian Animal Association, SAYS has no word as to the time of this publication as to Snow's whereabouts
Here is a brief description of Snow at the time of its abduction:
The full details of Snow, as last seen by its owner.
Image via Persatuan Haiwan Malaysia - Malaysia Animal Association (Facebook)To share animal crime cases as awareness for all, please go to www.wasap.my/+60105394749 or visit www.animalmalaysia.com for animal activities.
To report domestic animal crime cases, visit https://awa.dvs.gov.my. For wild animal crime places, call 1-800-88-5151 for the Perhilitan hotline, or dial your respective Perhilitan office.
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