Mumbai Crime: Secretary of society in Versova held for killing stray dog

Tushar Gogia and former tennis player Megha Vakharia were among the complainants in the case lodged with the Versova police

The secretary of a residential society in Seven Bungalows was booked and arrested on Sunday along with three auto drivers, for allegedly killing a stray dog. Police said he allegedly gave the trio Rs 3,500 to get rid of the dog. The Versova police have registered the case.

The accused have been identified as Sunil Jaisingh, 57, secretary of Nagnath Society; and Yasin Maniyar, 38, Arvindkumar Yadav, 24, and Raj Virender Singh, 23, the three auto drivers.

Dog went missing
A 39-year-old animal lover, Tushar Gogia, regularly feeds stray dogs and cats in Seven Bungalows. On the evening of February 15 he realized a 4-year-old dog (black and white in colour) had been missing for a couple of days.

He enquired with the locals and shopkeepers nearby. One of the shopkeepers told him that on February 12 he had seen two people tying the dog with a rope and taking him away in an auto. Gogia asked the various offices of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) about the dog but didn't find anything.

Then Gogia, his sister Shamita, former National tennis player Megha Vakharia and a couple of other local animal lovers approached the Versova police. A police officer checked CCTV footages from the locality and got the number of the auto in which the dog had allegedly been taken and traced its driver. On the information given by him, the police caught the other two accused and recovered the body of the dog in the mangroves on Sunday.

Trio confessed
During interrogation, the accused confessed to killing the dog and revealed the name of the person who had allegedly asked them to do it. "The trio claimed they committed the crime after Sunil Jaisingh, the secretary of Nagnath Society, told them to do so," said an official from the Versova police station.

When the police interrogated Jaisingh, he allegedly told them the dog used to run around barking and biting everyone, and people were scared, so he asked the trio to take it away. The police also said a WhatsApp group of members of local housing societies had discussed the issue of dogs allegedly disturbing them with their barking, and that the BMC should be approached for a solution.

Vakharia said, "Strays live among us, it is our responsibility to look after them. If they harm someone, there is a government department where one can complain about it. To kill them is a sin and a crime, there should be strict action against such people. I thank Meet Ashar of PETA, the Versova police and ACP Sudhir Kudalkar for their guidance."

"We have registered the case under Sections 428 (mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless any animal) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and various sections of the Animal Cruelty Act and have arrested the accused," said a police officer from the Versova police station.

Senior Inspector Siraj Inamdar of the Versova police station said, "We arrested the four accused and produced them before the court which remanded them in judicial custody. Further investigation is on."

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Day in February the accused were arrested