BENGALURU: A 60-year-old man shot dead his stepbrother’s pet dog with a country made gun, claiming it had damaged his cauliflower crop. It is alleged that the accused and his wife had a dispute with the stepbrother regarding shares in an ancestral property, and this claimed the life of the two-year-old dog. It is also said that the crop was damaged by street dogs, and the pet dog was not at fault.
N Venkatesh (63), a resident of Nalluru in Devanahalli taluk, filed a complaint against his stepbrother Narayanaswamy and his wife Nagamma for killing his pet dog. The accused are residents of Reddyhalli and the incident happened near the complainant’s house, around 9.15pm on Tuesday.
“My dog had not spoiled his crop, it was damaged by street dogs. Narayanaswamy and his wife wanted a reason to pick a fight with us, and shot my dog. Before killing the innocent dog, they pointed the gun at me, my wife and daughter-in-law and issued life threats. The entire incident has been captured on CCTV,” Venkatesh said. A video of the incident has gone viral.
Venkatesh’s father had two wives, and Narayanaswamy is the son of the second wife. The ancestral property is said to be divided among four sons. Venkatesh, who also runs a chicken stall, lives in his farmhouse in Nalluru. Adjacent to the complainant’s house, the accused had cultivated cauliflower, which was damaged when stray dogs entered the field.
An officer said, “The case is under investigation and legal action is being taken against the accused couple. We are checking if the accused has a licence to carry a gun.”
Channarayapatna police of Doddaballapura sub-division registered a case against the couple under the Indian Arms Act, 1959, Prevention of Animal Sacrifice Act, 1959, and other sections of the BNS.