Cyberabad Police have registered a case against ‘unknown suspects’ after seven dogs died and four were taken to a veterinary hospital in a critical condition after they were reportedly poisoned at Raintree Malaysian Township.
“An FIR 174/19 has been registered under Section 429 of the IPC. We will investigate the matter,” said a Cyberabad police officer. Section 429 of IPC “mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc. of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees” is punishable with a fine of ₹2,000 or jail term of five years.
“There were 11 strays in the complex. Someone fed them poisoned chicken biryani on Saturday night, and by the next morning, seven of the dogs died. We took the others to a vet and they are in critical condition,” said Usha Naidu, a resident of the gated community.
Animal rights’ activists took to social media against the incident. “@Manekagandhibjp Ma’am I live in Hyderabad at a landmark called Malaysian Township this heinous act was done by the people there. Three to four dogs were poisoned. I managed to get this one to the hospital. Please help,” tweeted Savio Marian with a photograph of a dog on a drip, tagging Maneka Gandhi.
Interestingly, an online chat message from the apartment group throws light on the incident. “Hey all… we really need to get rid of these dogs… our kids’ safety is essential,” says the message.
This is not the first instance when mass poisoning of dogs has taken place in the city. Multiple cases have been reported both from within the city and the outskirts. According to the World Health Organisation, India has the highest mortality rate due to rabies.