Iraqi doctor held for throwing puppies from the eighth floor

The police, on Tuesday, arrested a 25-year-old Iraqi doctor for allegedly throwing off two Shih Tzu dogs from his apartment on the eighth floor of a condominium in Sector 65, said the police.

The accused had been living in India for the past several years and had moved to Emaar Emerald Estate in February this year. He was working at a private hospital in the city. He also worked as an agent for helping Iraqi nationals receive treatment in the city. He was produced before the district and sessions judge and was granted bail on Tuesday evening, said the police.

Shamsher Singh, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said, “He has confessed to the crime and has revealed that he got angry at them[the puppies] as they were not behaving properly and not listening to his commands.”

A case under Section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming of cattle, of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and subsections 11(I) (l) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(PCA) Act of 1960 (prohibit inflicting unnecessary pain on any animal and killing any animal) has been filed.

Singh said the police station received a call from the caretaker of the condominium reporting the incident.

The police added that they later received a complaint from Nikhil Mahesh , the founder of Umeed for Animals Foundation, an organisation of animal welfare that was supported by the People For Animals (PFA).

The complainant alleged that the suspect had thrown the two dogs, aged eight to nine months, from his balcony. The dead puppies were spotted on the ground by morning walkers of the condominium around 6.30am. Singh said one of the residents who was walking with a friend had noticed the puppies.

“The residents had tried to speak with the accused, but he did not take the calls and had reverted that he was on work and would only return in the evening. The police team took prompt action and questioned him. The incident was shared multiple times on social media.

Reacting to his bail, Chetna Joshi, an animal welfare activist, said, “The police should have taken him to task for not just one but many serious violations of the law.”

First Published: Jun 12, 2019 04:30 IST