Secretary of Thane high-rise arrested for running over stray puppy

The puppy that was killed when it was run over by Shailendra Pharkya

The secretary of a posh Thane society was arrested for running his car over a four-month-old puppy and killing it recently. He was later released on bail. Nidhi Sooraj Sawant, 38, an animal activist who lives in Westgate society, registered an FIR under Sections 279 (rash driving), 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal), and 429 (killing, poisoning, maiming) of the IPC, at Kapurbawdi Police Station against the secretary of her building, Shailendra Pharkya, for killing the stray puppy. The brutal act, caught on the CCTV camera of the society, shows the accused's Mahindra XUV run over the puppy which was lying on a speed breaker.

"The incident occurred on February 23 at around 1 AM," said Sawant. "I was going to the gym the next morning when I was informed by the gardener that one of the puppies (from the strays in the society) had died the previous night. When I was passing by the speed breaker on my way home, all the stray dogs that I usually feed, came there and started crying. That is when I was alerted to the blood stains there."

She found the dead puppy outside the building. Pharkya was arrested on February 26, and later released on bail by JMFC Thane Court. "I have seen the CCTV footage and feel that the driver of the car was ignoring the dog. If we are driving and someone or something comes in front of us, we usually go around it, or honk, or reduce the speed. He didn't do any of that from what is visible in the CCTV footage," said PSI Ashwini Jadhav, 27, the investigating officer.

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