Udupi : Manipal police have launched an investigation into the death of at least 10 stray dogs that were reportedly poisoned in front of Mandavi Emerald, Manipal, allegedly by an unidentified man on Saturday.
The investigation was launched based on a complaint filed by Babita Madhwaraj, trustee, Madhwaraj Animal Care Trust, on Tuesday.
Babita, in her statement, said two students had witnessed a man on a two-wheeler feeding the dogs poisoned fish outside Mandavi Emerald at around 9.30pm on Saturday. She states eight of the dogs “endured a slow, miserable and painful death”.
“On Monday, two more dead dogs, including a puppy, were found outside Mandavi Sovereign at 4.30pm,” she states. “They too died of suspected poisoning. The local civic authorities took the dead dogs away. An NGO had sterilised most of these dogs which were fostered by students. They were peaceful and gentle and posed no threat to anyone. The CCTV camera in Mandavi Emerald has not been functional for more than a week and repeated inquiries with their security hasn’t yielded any information.”
Babita claims the act is a violation of section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, sections 428, 429 of the Indian Penal code and section 93 of the Karnataka Police Act.
“Hence, it is incumbent on the police to investigate the incident and identify the culprit(s) with CCTV footage and other evidence,” Babita states. She also requested an autopsy on the dogs by the district veterinarian.