Police investigating after pet cavoodle held for ransom

A Sydney family are in shock after being forced to pay a ransom for the return of their beloved cavoodle, Benji, after he was snatched from the street and held for cash in an appalling case of dognapping.

Benji, a 10-year-old cavoodle, escaped from his home on Flinders Crescent in Hinchinbrook around 45 minutes west of hte CBD when a tradesman accidentally left a gate open. His desperate owner, Paulina Tran, searched tirelessly, knocking on doors in her neighbourhood and posting urgent appeals on social media.

“Our whole family is quite distraught,” Tran told 7NEWS. “My kids have been crying non-stop because we’ve had this dog for 10 years.”

A breakthrough came when a neighbour provided CCTV footage showing a man in a dark blue T-shirt and light blue shorts taking Benji off the street several hundred metres from Tran’s home. “He was very distraught. You can hear him on the footage crying,” Tran said of Benji.

Another neighbour, who was working from home, witnessed the incident and recalled the man whistling to Benji – a suspicious action since owners typically call their dogs by name. As the community rallied, more people came forward with information, eventually helping identify the man caught on CCTV.

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Determined to bring Benji home, Tran and her husband confronted the man at his residence, only to be met with a ransom demand.

“We approached him and he refused to give us our dog back, saying that we needed to give him money,” Tran recounted. The situation then escalated when the man became aggressive and issued a disturbing threat: “I will skin your dog alive” if they refused to pay.

Fearful for Benji’s safety, Tran and her husband reluctantly agreed to hand over a small sum. The man took the money before retrieving Benji, who was returned with a rope tightly secured around his neck.

Despite their ordeal, Tran and her husband chose not to take further action after seeing children at the man’s home.

“It doesn’t take two bad people to make things right. Just because someone’s bad doesn’t mean you have to be bad to them,” Tran said.

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In response to inquiries by 7NEWS, NSW Police have confirmed they will be investigating the incident.

Images: Facebook / 7NEWS