Bhadravathi police on Friday nabbed a man on charges of killing stray dogs. Around 38 dogs, which had been buried in the Thammadihalli forest area in the taluk had been retrieved so far, and more dogs are feared to be buried there.
Somu (40), from Mysuru, who was entrusted with the responsibility of sterilising stray dogs, has been arrested for killing them. The Kambadaal-Hosur gram panchayat authorities would also be arrested in the coming days in connection with the incident, police sources said.
Speaking to DH, Superintendent of Police BM Laxmi Prasad said Kambadaal-Hosur gram panchayat officials consulted a dog catcher from Mysuru to sterilise over 100 stray dogs in the gram panchayat limits following dog bite incidents. It is said that people and children were bitten by stray dogs.
The dog catcher came to the village on September 4 and reportedly killed the dogs rather than sterilising them. As per the norms of the Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate & Release (CNVR) drive, dogs must be vaccinated against rabies, sterilised and released into the same area from where they had been captured.
He said the preliminary investigations suggested that the dog catcher released some stray dogs in the forest area on the first day and the rest of them were killed and buried. They are in a decomposed state and veterinarians and forensic experts visited the spot. The cause of death would be known after the post-mortem, he explained.
He said the barking of dogs led to suspicion among villagers. Later, they informed the police. Shivamogga Animal Rescue Club lodged a complaint at Bhadravathi Rural Police station, and the investigation is on.
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