A three-year-old Siberian Husky named Simba was allegedly beaten to death with a stick and stones by an unidentified man in the Akurdi area. The incident, which took place between late Friday night and early Saturday morning (September 12–13), has caused outrage among pet lovers and residents, according to the Nigdi Police.
In an FIR filed at Nigdi Police Station on Saturday night, the complainant, Rahul Markar (34), a local businessman and owner of the D2C Commercials JCB showroom, stated that he had been caring for Simba on behalf of his family friend, Rukmini Galande, while she was away. Markar, who already owns two Huskies, had hired a caretaker, Bishna Dhami, to look after the dogs near his showroom.
At around 9:30 am on Saturday, Dhami contacted Markar, informing him that Simba had been assaulted. Upon arriving at the showroom, Markar found local animal lover Jyoti Ponnampalath already at the scene. CCTV footage from the showroom revealed that at 11:30 pm on September 12, an unknown man approached the area and attacked Simba with a wooden plank and stones. The footage further showed that around 1:30 am on September 13, the same man returned, beat the dog again with a stick and stones, and dragged the injured Husky away by the road, said the police.
Markar and other animal lovers rushed Simba to the Government Veterinary Hospital in Aundh, where veterinarians declared him dead. A post-mortem was conducted at Aundh Hospital on Sunday.
{{/usCountry}}Markar and other animal lovers rushed Simba to the Government Veterinary Hospital in Aundh, where veterinarians declared him dead. A post-mortem was conducted at Aundh Hospital on Sunday.
{{/usCountry}}A case has been registered against an unidentified person under Section 325 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 11(1)(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Mahesh Bansode, Senior Police Inspector at Nigdi police station, stated, “We have launched an investigation to identify and arrest the accused.”
Padmini Stump, founder of the Mission Possible Foundation, condemned the brutal act, saying, “In the videos, Simba is seen sitting calmly when the man approaches him. He was lying down and relaxing when he was repeatedly attacked with a rod and stones.”