HYDERABAD: Atleast 20 dogs were killed and several injured after a group of unidentified men opened fire at them in the early hours of February 16 at Mahabubnagar’s Ponnakal village. The injured dogs are currently being treated at the Gram Panchayat premises.
According to villagers, the unidentified men, who reportedly wearing masks, got down from a car and attacked the stray dogs. While the police suspect that the shooters used country-made weapons, they are yet to be identified.
The incident came to light around 7 am when a driver of a tractor informed the Panchayat Secretary that several dogs were found dead in different places across the village. After inspection, the Panchayat Secretary lodged a police complaint.
“The investigation is on and we are yet to identify the exact number of people who opened fire at the dogs,” the Adakkal police said.
Commenting on the incident, Stray Animal Foundation of India’s PCA officer Adulapuram Goutham said, “We have never seen such a grave attack on stray dogs. It’s shocking that they have used guns to attack the animals.”
Goutham revealed that the deceased dogs have been sent for postmortem examination and the Panchayat is taking care of the injured dogs.
Meanwhile, the police are checking CCTV footage to identify the people behind the incident. “We have registered a case under section 429 of the IPC, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Arms Act,” the police said.