Suspected dog killers seen on CCTV in Pune; stray found dead with fatal injury at 2am

Pune Animal rights activists are up in arms about unidentified men prowling Vimannagar and killing stray dogs after a nine-year-old stray was found dead on November 19 in Vimannagar.

The dog, named Mona was found dead near Riddhi Tower, Clover Park, Vimannagar at 2.10 am, by a 21-year-old resident of society. The dog had sustained an injury to its head which, according to post-mortem reports, proved fatal.

Police suspect two men, seen on a Honda Activa on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage in the area, of having committed the crime.

“The post-mortem report shows that the fatal injury was caused by a sharp weapon. The footage shows the two men but it is from late-night and is not very clear. Two people saw the men and it is suspected that they killed the dog,” said Gajanan Pawar, senior police inspector of Vimantal police station.

“I saw them thrice after I found Mona near the gate of my building. The first time around 2:05-2:10 am and last around 3 am. I took her inside as she was still warm and I did not assume she was dead. They were riding around the area but they were not going away. I threw a stone at them and then the guy sitting pillion showed me a bloody chopper and laughed,” said Shashank Singh, 21, a student and businessman, who found the dog and later called the police.

Singh then informed Beena Malikaveetil, 45, managing trustee of an NGO called Tails N Trees, about the incident, and she then lodged the police complaint in the matter.

“He (Shashank) took Mona’s body to the Vimannagar police station who immediately guided him to the District Veterinary Polyclinic, Aundh. She was declared dead and a post mortem was conducted which stated that she died due to sustaining injuries on her head due to a sharp weapon. There is another eye witness who had seen these men kill two dogs near Samrat chowk,” said Malikaveetil.

A case under Section 11(1)(l) of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 was registered at Vimantal police station against two unidentified me.