When a food delivery agent spotted a seemingly lost Labrador, with a leash on, wandering alone on Hyderabad’s Kushaiguda road late at night, it reminded him of his own pet of a similar breed. He promptly took the dog, later identified as Bruno, 4, into his care, gave him a shower and fed him. All this while, Bruno’s family in Sainikpuri had not eaten or rested.

Bruno’s pet parent had approached the Kushaiguda police in tears after he went missing during a morning walk on May 21.

The food delivery agent, A. Srinath, later traced by police, said, “I took him in as I was afraid he would be attacked by other dogs in the area.”

Bruno slipped away while the domestic help caring for the family’s two dogs briefly took a nap while they were playing outside the house. The owner, who lives alone with her pets, approached the police station in distress. “She came to the police station around 11 a.m. crying inconsolably. When I first heard the complaint, I thought it was a missing boy,” said head constable of Kushaiguda police, K.C. Ranganna.

What followed was a structured search operation led by Ranganna, marking his first missing dog case. The breakthrough came through CCTV footage from four cameras in and around the colony. Ranganna traced Bruno’s movement step by step through lanes near Saibaba Temple in Hastinapuri Colony, reviewing footage from morning till evening while simultaneously speaking to shopkeepers and locals in the areas.

After nearly nine hours of scanning, a crucial moment appeared on camera at around 8.30 p.m. when Bruno was picked up by a man on a two-wheeler. The next morning, Ranganna followed the lead to a hotel near the location where the vehicle had been spotted and traced the rider. Bruno was reunited with his owner on May 22, ending nearly 24 hours of anxiety and uncertainty.

For Ranganna, who after his promotion in 2025 has solved over 92 missing cases till date, this one stood out, this time, the trail he was following had four paws.