The Telangana police on Friday confirmed that the reports of 20 stray dogs found shot dead in Mahabubnagar district to be true. The details of the perpetrators behind the act remain unknown, they added.
According to Mahabubnagar police, the mass killing of stray dogs happened in Ponnakal village of the district on Thursday night. Apart from the 20 killed, five other canines were found with bullet injuries, they said.
The cops were alerted about the incident by locals on Friday morning although many villagers had heard gunshots in the late hours. Later, the locals found multiple dead dogs with bullet injuries while many others struggled around with bloodied bodies. An investigation is underway to identify the culprits, news agency PTI quoted a police source as saying.
Meanwhile, some media reports stated the heinous act was committed by masked men armed with country-made guns. As many as four men were involved in the shooting, Superintendent of Mahabubnagar police K Narasimha was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
A case under section 429 (killing or maiming animals) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, besides Arms Act, has been registered at Addakal Police Station based on a complaint by a panchayat official.
