A pet dog helped a family in Kolkata to pin down an armed thief who entered the house in the wee hours and tried to escape with the gold ornaments he had stolen, the police said on Saturday.

The incident happened at Jadu Bhattacharya Lane near Kalighat Fire Station, which is quite close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee’s residence.

The thief pulled out his knife and slashed one of the family members on the neck and shoulder and was trying to escape when the pet dog, Rocky, pounced on him and held him by the leg. This enabled the family members to catch the thief and overpower him.

The local police were called and the thief has been arrested.

The thief entered the house around 4 am on Friday after breaking the latch of the main door. After getting hold of the gold ornaments he is reported to have opened the fridge to eat some food when one of the women in the house heard a noise and raised an alarm. This woke up the family members and they tried catch the thief but he fought back with a knife. The injured family member was admitted to hospital and had to get over 40 stitches. 

Investigations have revealed that the thief is a vegetable vendor and had got information about the gold ornaments kept in the house from a neighbour.