Legs tied with strings, 90 stray dogs found dead in Maharashtra; case registered

Mumbai: At least 90 stray dogs were found killed with their muzzles and legs tied with strings in Maharashtra's Buldhana district, police said on Sunday. The carcasses of the dogs were found strewn at various spots on Girda-Savaldabara Road in a forest area in the east Maharashtra district on Thursday evening, an official said.

"More than 100 dogs were found thrown on the road at five locations. Of the 90 dogs were found dead while some were found to be alive," he said. The incident came to light due to foul odour emanating from decomposing carcasses.

"After villagers approached Police Patil (village police official), the forest department was informed. At the spot, officials of police and forest departments found some dogs were alive and freed them," he added.

A case under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered on Sunday against unidentified killers of the strays on a complaint lodged by a forest guard.

The official said the exact cause of the death of the canines would be known once they get postmortem report. "Police suspect the strays were picked up from the city limits, killed, and their carcasses dumped in the forest area," the official said, adding that they are questioning dog catchers for clues.