The curious case of wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt’s missing dog
London Games bronze medal-winning wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt’s pet dog ‘Tiger’ has gone missing.
If this is a crime, it must have bordered on Mission Impossible. Who would dare to steal a full grown Great Dane, one which answers to the name of ‘Tiger’? And that too from the premises of a generally fortified police academy. All of this has happened and the act has deprived one of India’s wrestling champions of a trusted face from his corner.
London Games bronze medal-winning wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt’s pet dog ‘Tiger’ has gone missing. And the manner of his disappearance will surely be an embarrassment to quite a few in the Haryana Police department. While Dutt was trying hard to get fit for the World Championships in Las Vegas last month, his dog went missing from Haryana Police’s academy in Madhuban near Karnal.
Strangely, no one has an idea how the massive dog left the fortified area --- whether it was huddled in a car or it simply strayed away.
Lucky mascot
Tiger was Dutt’s lucky mascot, and over the last three years the pup had grown and become a constant companion of the grappler wherever he trained. At the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Sonepat centre, Tiger was usually tied near the training mat while his master usually outmuscled his sparring partners.
“He has been missing for a month now,” Dutt told HT. Dutt, who himself is a deputy superintendent of police, hasn’t lodged a police complaint probably because it would be too embarrassing.
“He might have wandered out of the facility and could be in one of the nearby villages. My friends tried to search for him, but they were unsuccessful,” added Dutt, who is gearing for the upcoming wrestling league.
Dutt, perhaps, should have taken a leaf out of a UP minister’s book, who had deputed dog squads, the crime branch and also put the police department on notice when his buffaloes were stolen last year.
Tiger’s disappearance was the second bad news for the wrestler, who failed to recover in time for his World Championships bout. Dutt was criticised for travelling for the prestigious tournament while carrying an injury.