'Where are the cats?': Gunman clad in military-style clothing threatens animal welfare worker
An armed man clad in a mask and military-style clothing threatened and tied up a woman at gunpoint inside a Melbourne animal shelter and asked her where the cats were, police say.
The woman was sitting in her car parked outside an animal welfare centre in Cranbourne West on Monday night when the man approached her car and walked her inside.
Investigators say the man tied her up, asked her for the location of the cats, left the room, and didn’t return. Police said no cats were missing.
The woman, whom police say did not suffer any injuries, freed herself and raised an alarm.
Local police attended with the Critical Incident Response Team, Victoria Police’s Air Wing, and the Dog Squad but couldn’t find the man.
Casey Crime Investigation Unit Senior Sergeant Glen Cruse said police were unsure how long the man was waiting for the victim to emerge.
“We are certainly throwing every resource available at it and we are confident that we will apprehend the offender,” he told 3AW.
“We are looking at a number of motivations for the incident.”
Lost Dogs' Home spokeswoman Suzana Talevski said they were shocked and "extremely concerned".
No animals were harmed during the incident, she said.
"The home has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence against our staff in any shape or form," Ms Talevski said.
"Our main priority is the welfare of our staff and we are providing all the support possible to the animal transport team member who was a victim in this horrendous ordeal."
Police are considering releasing CCTV to try to help identify the offender.
Detectives are investigating the circumstances surround the incident and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to submit a confidential report can log onto www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
More to come.
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David Estcourt is a court and general news reporter at The Age.