HYDERABAD: Mahabubnagar police arrested three Hyderabad-based men on Tuesday in connection with a shoot-out that killed 20 stray dogs and severely injured six others a month ago in Ponakkal village.
The main accused, identified as Narasimha Reddy (57), allegedly orchestrated the entire incident, the police said.
“Reddy’s in-laws, who live in the village, lost their pet dog in a stray dog attack in the first week of February. Seeking revenge for Mintu’s death, the accused, along with his friends, travelled from Hyderabad to Ponakkal and opened fire at the stray dogs,” Mahabubnagar SP Harshvardhan told TNIE.
Having decided to kill the stray dogs in the village, Reddy approached his friends Mohammad Tareeq (44) and Aareq Ahmed (40), to accompany him in his plan. “Tareeq is a professional shooter and had a licensed gun, which is the weapon the trio used to kill the dogs,” the SP shared.
In the wee hours on February 16, the accused drove across the village in a car and shot at all the stray dogs they could find using a gun. While the cruelty of the incident shocked the village, the police were able to find three eyewitnesses.
“During the investigation, one of the eyewitnesses shared that he had seen the attackers drive in a silver Benz car across the village,” said Bhoothpur Circle Inspector Ramakrishna. “We were then able to trace it back to Narasimha Reddy’s in-laws’ house and from there, we got to the accused,” the inspector added.
Meanwhile, Stray Animal Foundation of India’s PCA officer Adulapuram Goutham said, “The village secretary told me that among the six dogs that were being treated, one succumbed to injuries. Two dogs recovered and three others are still being treated.”
Since a gun was used to shoot at the dogs, the police had invoked the Arms Act in addition to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. “If it were only the animal cruelty act, the penalty would have been nominal. However, since the Arms Act is involved, the accused may get imprisoned for 7 to 10 years,” the police said.
Seeking revenge, accused kills stray dogs
Seeking revenge after his pet was killed by stray dogs, the accused, along with his friends, travelled from Hyderabad to Ponakkal in a car in the wee hours on February 16, and opened fire at the stray dogs