Telangana: Man Guns Down 20 Stray Dogs, Eyewitnesses Say Killer Came In Car

An unidentified man gunned down 20 stray dogs on the streets of Ponnakal village in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana on Thursday night, news agency PTI reported.

The matter came to light when locals found 20 stray dogs dead and five others injured on the streets of Ponnakal village on Friday morning and informed police.

A police official said an investigation was underway to identify the culprits. Bullets, not pellets had hit the dogs, police said. The post-mortem report is awaited.

An eyewitness has claimed that one person who came in a car is the one who committed the crime, the official said, based on the preliminary investigation.

According to a report in The Times of India, police are yet to ascertain the accused’s motive behind the crime.

Bhoothpur Police Inspector M Ramakrishna told TOI that the crime occurred between 1.30 am and 2.30 am.

A case 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, has been registered at Addakal Police Station based on a complaint by a panchayat official.

Adulapuram Goutham, an activist from the Stray Animal Foundation of India, said, “According to the locals, after midnight, a few masked men came in the car and fired at the dogs with a gun. Around 20-25 dogs were killed in the incident and several others were injured. We have filed a complaint to the police officials in this incident.”