In a shocking incident in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, four puppies were burnt to death after their shelter was set on fire by a group of children on Sunday.
It was Geeta Park G Block in Kanpur's Kidwai Nagar area that witnessed the unfortunate development. The incident came to light when locals reached the spot and heard the animals screaming. They found the temporary shelter made for puppies engulfed in flames with the puppies trapped inside. By the time they brought the fire under control, it was too late as all four baby animals inside were severely burnt. All of them breathed their last soon afterwards, reports said.
While two kids managed to flee the spot, the third was caught by the public. They learnt that the shelter was set ablaze by a group of three children, aged between 8 and 10 years, Times Of India (TOI) said in a report.
When the trio from the Begumpurwa area reached the park to play, they found the puppies inside the shelter. Later, one of them went back home and returned with a matchbox. The kids stood watching after setting the shelter on fire, the daily quoted onlookers as saying.
It was residents near the park who made a shelter out of dry straw and jute sacks after they found a stray dog had delivered four babies in the park. Their intention was to protect the animals from inclement weather.
The mother dog was not around when the kids reached the park.
A police team reportedly reached the spot after onlookers alerted them of the development. A forensic team reached the spot and collected evidence, the news report added.
