An unidentified person was arrested by police on the morning of 16th February for allegedly shooting 20 street dogs dead and wounding five more in Ponnakal village of Addakula Mandal in Telangana’s Mahbubnagar district. He was booked under the violation of the Animal Cruelty Act and the Arms Act. Police reported that the wounded canines survived the rampage. The shocking incident transpired late on the 15th of February night.
Carcasses of dead dogs were discovered lying all over the place by the police. The motivation behind the crime is still not known. The animals were hit by bullets and not pellets. Authorities are now waiting for the post-mortem. Inspector M Ramakrishna of the Bhoothpur Police stated that the crime happened between 1.30 and 2.30 in the morning. The killings occurred in front of a few villagers. An eyewitness claimed that the accused drove up in a car and shot the dogs dead up close.
According to other reports, four individuals committed the horrifying crime. The locals mentioned that they arrived in a car and shot their weapons at the dogs. They asserted that the men were shooting dogs as they strolled around the village’s roads while donning masks.
The fear of firearms and howling dogs kept the people inside their homes. Some of the creatures that were hit by gunfire reportedly died instantly, while many of the injured dogs fled and died later on the streets. Many more animals were discovered hurt and over 20 dogs lost their lives.
After learning of the event, Bhutpur Circle Inspector (CI) Ramakrishna, Addakula Sub Inspector (SI) Srinivasulu and the veterinary medical team arrived at the scene and found gunshots on the dead dogs’ corpses.
The images displayed various dog corpses scattered over the village. It was evident that some dogs were hurt and had trouble breathing. Additionally, locals were observed loading the dead bodies into a four-wheeler.
A panchayat official’s complaint led to the registration of a case at Addakal Police Station under section 429 (killing or maiming animals) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, besides the Arms Act.
