A man in Hyderabad was booked by the city police on Sunday, after it emerged that he allegedly shot and killed 'Jacky', his neighbour's 15-year-old male pet dog, with an air gun.
The accused, identified as 38-year-old Avinash, a bank manager, was booked by the Saroornagar police after a complaint by Raju Yadav, a milk vendor who owned the dog. The incident took place at Bapu Nagar colony and the police said that Avinash was angry at the dog for 'trespassing' onto his property frequently.
On Sunday, as the dog entered his property, Avinash took out an air gun that he had bought, and shot the dog with pellets. The dog received injuries in its abdomen and collapsed on the ground and died, the police said.
The owners told media outlets that Jacky was a friendly dog and all members in the colony were familiar with him and used to pet him when he passed by. They added that the dog never troubled anyone and had become their family member, as it had been with them for 15 years.
As the police were informed of the incident, they visited Avinash's house, seized the airgun and took him into custody. Officials said that on questioning, Avinash told the police that he had bought the weapon for Rs 18,000 a few years ago.
The Saroornagar police have booked a case under section 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 429 (committing mischief by killing or maiming cattle/animal) besides relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
The dog's body was shifted to a Government Veterinary Hospital in Saroornagar for a post-mortem examination and police said that further investigation is underway.
Read: