Mumbai: Woman with 22 cats evicted from stinking flat

Tania Mukherjee (28), a resident of Andheri, lodged an FIR at Amboli Station on Tuesday night against her landlord(s) and society manager, for assault, molestation and threatening. According to Mukherjee - who had 22 pet cats at home - her belongings were removed in her absence on Tuesday, and during the process, 18 of her cats escaped from her house. She has alleged that one of the cats fell from the fourth floor and died.

Tania Mukherjee outside the building. Pics/Prabhanjan Dhanu

A case has been registered under sections 326 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 342 (Punishment for wrongful confinement), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), and 34 (Acts done by several people in furtherance of common intention) at Amboli Police Station, against Rekha Chavan (landlord), and the unidentified men and women who allegedly harassed her on Tuesday. Mukherjee has also named Santosh Chavan, Rekha's brother in-law, and society manager Satish Shirke in her statement.

One of the frightened cats hiding near a pipe in the building

"I was supposed to move out of the flat by August 16, but on Tuesday afternoon, around 2.30 pm, my landlords, along with five other men and three women, started threatening me to leave immediately," Mukherjee said. "They harassed me by taking away my cellphone and making me sit in the society office for four hours. They even pushed and shoved me." After that, Mukherjee went to look for another house, but when she returned around 11.30 pm, all her furniture had been removed from the flat and kept outside. "I was not allowed to enter the house to check if any of the cats were left behind. One of my cats fell from the fourth floor when they were removing my furniture," she said. Mukherjee then went to Amboli Police Station where she lodged an FIR against her landlords, the unknown men and women who allegedly manhandled her, as well as against the society manager, Satish Shirke.

However, it was the sight of Mukherjee's apartment that shocked everyone, including the cops. The living room was covered in cat faeces, and toilet water had accumulated on the kitchen floor. Two of the bedrooms were covered in faeces as well, and the stench emanating was so strong that all the people - police officers and residents alike - had to tie handkerchiefs around their faces. Dead cockroaches were found inside the fridge and an insect infestation below Mukherjee's kitchen sink.

The flat was found covered in cat faeces

Landlord speak
"She had exceeded her lease twice before, and the smell coming from her house is unbearable," said Babu Rao Chavan (75), one of Mukherjee's landlords. Rekha Chavan, the owner of Mukherjee's flat and Babu Rao's daughter-in-law, said, "She has not paid the electricity bill for the last two months, and never keeps the flat clean. Her rent for this month has not been paid either."

Cop speak
"Only after thorough investigation will action be taken on the FIR lodged," said B. S. Gaikwad," Senior Inspector, Amboli Police Station.

Neighbour speak
"She [Tania] was not running an NGO or taking care of the cats," said Ashok Pareek (55), Tania's fourth-floor neighbour who has been living in Evershine for more than three years, and is a committee member. "The entire floor is stinking because she does not keep her house or the premises clean. It is extremely unhygienic." According to him, when Mukherjee's stuff was being removed from the flat, cat nails were found in her freezer. "Maybe she ate the cats herself, or does some kind of black magic with them," he said.

Manager speak
"Mukherjee was not to be seen in the building for two days, and there was a strong stench coming from her flat," said Satish Shirke, society manager of Evershine Cosmic. "When we opened the door, the cats ran away. There was no food or water left for the cats while they were locked in. She's not an animal lover."