4 booked in Badlapur for ‘cruelly’ relocating stray dogs

According to the police, a few society members hired people, who caught the stray dogs with nets, crammed them in a tempo and dumped them in a forested area in Badlapur

Thane: Four members of a housing society in Badlapur were booked recently for allegedly cruelly relocating stray dogs from the area. According to the police, a few society members hired people, who caught the stray dogs with nets, crammed them in a tempo and dumped them in a forested area in Badlapur.

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“The incident came to light on August 1, when an animal lover, Vaishali Barje, 42, from an adjacent society heard the noise of barking dogs. The woman and her son felt something was wrong because all of them were barking too much. Both of them walked towards the noise and entered the Shashwat Park Society. They found a three-wheeler tempo carrying away dogs and their little puppies. They were packed under a net. One of the dogs was trying to come out from the hole of the net, and his body got stuck in between,” a senior officer from Badlapur police station said.

Barje made a video of the entire incident, and stopped the tempo to ask about the stray dogs, added the officer.

Barje said that the vehicle’s driver told them that the tempo used to carry vegetables and he got a call from a Shashwat Park society member to come and collect garbage from the society. “They later put dogs in it and asked him to be dropped in a forest area,” added Barje.

She called up Dyaneshwar Mhaskar, a society member, to ask about this act, and the latter replied that all society members had together decided to get all street dogs out of society.

“We told them that we will do their operations and other treatment but don’t send them elsewhere,” Barje said. “The poor animals were terribly put in tempo, some were kicked and beaten. There were a few newborn puppies as well.”

According to the police, Barje followed the vehicle and brought the stray dogs back to society. “However, the society members humiliated the woman and were about to beat his son, who recorded the video,” the officer said.

“We received the video and complaints of animal lovers who saved the dogs. We have registered a case against Shashvat society members under sections 352 (assault), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act, 1960.