This is the heartwarming moment distraught woman waded through a river to rescue her dog who had been missing for four days. Owner Alifiya Mohamedbhai, 33 had been targeted by a cruel scammer who threatened to kill her brown dachshund if she didn't hand over £250.
She thankfully managed to track down little Violet, with the help of the AirTag on the pooch's collar, which tracked her location at a small cove along the River Tame. The amazing footage shows Alifiya going in to rescue her beloved pet who escaped unharmed, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Violet was out with a dog walker at Reddish Vale Park when she ran away. Alifiyah said she was later contacted by a man who said he had her dog and would kill the daschund if she didn't pay her £250, so she agreed to meet up with the man.
The incident was reported to the police but the scammer failed to show up, and officers are currently investigating the situation. Alifiya initially believed she'd be able to find her dog through the AirTag attached to her collar but the location stopped showing once the battery drained.
She explained: She is such a quiet dog and was out on the same walk that she does every day, and has done for two-and-a-half years with my dog walker and best friend. Nobody knows what spooked her or what happened - she doesn't wander off to explore and always walks by your feet, but she must've turned and just walked off the other way.
"We had no idea where she was. We spent eight hours looking for her and there were no sightings. Reddish Vale is huge, so she could've been anywhere.”
With help from Greater Manchester Lost Dog Search & Rescue Capture Team, Alifiya issued public appeals on social media to help locate Violet. While her pleas were mostly shared by other concerned people wanting to help out, they caught the attention of some vile scammers.
Alifiya said "I had a call from a number telling me they had my dog. When I told them she was spayed they said they didn't want her anymore, but I couldn't have her back and that we needed to pay.
“I had to sit in the bathroom for an hour and 40 minutes because he wanted to hear the extractor fan, and told me he would kill her if I didn't. Police told me it had been a scam call and that the number and bank account was registered in Leicester. I was in such a vulnerable position and almost broke down."
Thankfully, the following day Alifiya had been walking down the River Tame when her phone began to buzz as her bluetooth alerted her that Violet was nearby. The phone activated the tag on Violet's collar and she was able to locate her in a small cove in the embankment.
The tearful dog owner who ran in to rescue her dog said: "I really had been starting to lose hope. I wish I could see her memory of the last couple of days, find out what she was up to and know what spooked her."
The news comes as missing pet scammers are reportedly on the rise with an estimated £200,000 having been swindled from devastated pet owners in the last two years, according to DogLost.
Last year, the charity said: “Scammers are continuing to make contact with owners of missing pets stating they know where your pet is and need money before they inform you of where."
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: "The crime was reported to us and is being investigated by our City of Manchester district as that’s where the victim lives."
If you have been approached by dog scammers, you can reach out to DogLost via their website. You can contact their Police Liason officers on stolen@doglost.co.uk.
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