Pune: On November 24, the Cyber Crime Cell of the city police crime branch received two more complaints of people being cheated online while buying pets on the Internet, clearly depicting the need for a crackdown on online pet sellers.
Police Inspector Manisha Zhende, in-charge of the cyber crime department, said that the two complainants were cheated to the tune of Rs 2,000 each as despite paying the amount, the seller did not deliver the pet dog to them. Officials from the Cyber Crime Cell said that they receive such applications and in most of the cases, the fraudsters have cheated the victim in the range of Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000. These cases clearly reflect the need to regulate the online market for pet sale. Pet cats and puppies are available for as low as Rs 100 on the online platform.
Speaking on the legal cover of the sale of pets online Vineeta Tandon from Co-Trustee People for Animals, Pune Unit said that the sale of pets whether online or by other means is now strictly regulated under Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules. “You must have a licence from State Animal Welfare Board or Animal Welfare Board of India to breed animals. Similarly, pups under eight weeks cannot be sold and pups over six months of age are to be sold only after sterilisation. Pups cannot be sold to pet shops operating without any licence,” added Tandon.
The animal rights activist further said that there are a number of laws and rules for the sale of pets which should be applicable to online markets also but there is no check on the online platform.
“Many times, we receive complaints of pups suffering from diseases which are sold without vaccination. Some pups are sold before they turn eight weeks old and hence, buyers must ask for the breeder licence, pet registration, vaccination details and veterinary certificates before buying a pet,” added Tandon.
Another activist Amit Shaha said that some people are keeping pets without knowing details about pet care. “These things are leading to the online sale of pets which is illegal.
Some people have very less knowledge and they have been duped online. We have come across cases when people have bought a dog of good breed and were expecting puppies of that breed but they later they found that the dog cannot reproduce. Similarly, many people sell mix breed of dog which buyers are unaware ,” added Shaha.
