Police arrest three in Telangana for shooting down 20 dogs in act of vengeance

Along with them, the weapon and car used— a licensed 0.22 rifle, and a Mercedes Benz car (TS11EF7860) have been confiscated by the police.

While the main suspect Reddy, a resident of Red Hills, Nampally is engaged in agriculture, his other two accomplices Thariq and Tahir are businessmen. Thahir also owns the rifle which was used to shoot 20 dogs dead.

Also Read: ‘Stray dogs shot dead in Telangana village’: NGO alleges 20 canines were murdered

A revenge plan

According to the police, Reddy left his two Dachshund dogs at his in-laws place in Addakal village in the first week of February. Unfortunately, one of the dogs was mauled to death by street dogs.

Speaking to South First, Addakal SHO Srinivas said, “After losing his pet dog, Reddy developed hatred towards the strays, prompting him to attack them.”

In a planned attempt to extract revenge, Reddy along with Tahir and Thariq opened fire on the unsuspecting strays at 1:30 am on 16 February, killing 20 dogs and injuring another five.

On the day of the incident, an eyewitness, an ex-serviceman, alerted the police upon hearing gunshots in the area.

Based on the information provided by the eyewitness, who was initially detained for questioning, and CCTV footage, the police identified the vehicle and subsequently arrested the suspects.

The police on the day of the incident registered a case under various sections, including 429 (for killing, poisoning, maiming, or rendering useless any animal or animals of the value of fifty rupees or upwards) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and Section 26 of the Arms Act, 1959.

Telangana horror: Toddler mauled to death by stray dogs in Hyderabad

(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)