The dispute between two people in Madhya Pradesh over ownership of a Labrador dog that went missing in August last year has been resolved post DNA testing, police said on Friday.
After Coco went missing, local journalist Shadab Khan came forward stating that the canine was his pet, while a person named Kartik Shivhare also laid claim to being the owner, Hoshangabad police station in-charge Anoop Singh Nain said.
In order to resolve the issue, the then police station in-charge, Hemant Shrivastava, convinced Khan and Shivhare that the dog be subjected to a DNA test, he said.
The DNA test, which was conducted in Hyderabad in Telangana after samples were sent in December, was on the basis of Khan's claim that he had bought the dog from a person in Pachmari hill station here, the official said.
The DNA report, which arrived on Thursday, confirmed Khan's claim after which Coco was handed over to him, Nain informed.
"I spent Rs 50,000 in the process as I had to take veterinarians to Pachmari and then make arrangements for sending the sample with the help of police to Hyderabad for DNA tests. Thankfully, Coco is home and my family is very happy," Khan said.
Shivhare could not be contacted despite several attempts.