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A female domestic worker was arrested on charges of killing a pet dog inside the lift of an apartment building in Bengaluru.
The accused, identified as Pushpalatha, allegedly killed the puppy by smashing it against the floor inside the lift.
Raashi Poojari, the owner of the deceased pet, lodged a police complaint against the maid involved in the act after CCTV footage of Pushpalatha thrashing the pet surfaced.
The CCTV footage showed Pushpalatha swinging and repeatedly smashing the small dog against the floor by its leash - an act of shocking cruelty.
After killing the dog, Pushpalatha fabricated a story, claiming that the puppy had accidentally fallen while coming out of the lift. However, when the pet's owner questioned the security personnel about the incident, their responses raised suspicion. Upon checking the CCTV footage, the cruel act came to light.
According to preliminary investigations, the accused committed the cruel act while taking the dog out for a walk. The incident took place on October 31 but came to light on Monday.
Pushpalatha had been working at Poojari's home for over a month as the caretaker of her pet dog, 'Goofy'.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Raashi said, "The accused was being paid a monthly salary of Rs 25,000. But all of a sudden, she killed the pet. I cannot understand why she did it. The accused never argued or quarrelled with me about anything recently."
"There was absolutely no issue. The pet never bit anyone or caused any trouble. She has no explanation - she just killed the dog for no reason. There is no answer from her," Raashi said.
"I was very close to my pet. I had been taking care of the puppy for four years. I hired her specifically to look after and feed the puppy as I had to attend college. On the day of the incident, she said she was taking the dog out, and within a minute, she came back saying the pet wasn't waking up. I thought it might have hurt its leg. When I rushed to see, the pet's tongue was out, and it was lying motionless," she recalled.
"I didn't suspect the caretaker at that time. We went to Kengeri to perform the final rites of the pet. The accused remained normal and unaffected throughout. That evening, I began to doubt her and inquired with the security staff. They said the incident must have taken place either inside or outside the lift. After checking the CCTV footage, we discovered what had actually happened," Raashi said.
"The caretaker was very close to us. She behaved well, and I never had even an iota of doubt. I was shocked to see how she swung and smashed the dog against the floor of the lift," she added.