01 April,2026 11:30 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
The dog was found dead in the society’s parking lot with signs of a struggle. Representational Pic
A stray dog was allegedly beaten to death at a housing society in Maharashtra's Thane district, prompting police to register a case against unidentified persons, officials said on Wednesday.
According to PTI, the incident occurred at Bhoirwadi in Kalyan on Sunday night. Videos circulating on social media showed people walking with sticks in the residential area.
The canine was later found dead in the society's parking lot with signs of a struggle, an official from Khadakpada police station said.
A local animal feeder lodged a complaint following the incident. Representatives of the Plants and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) also took up the matter with the police, PTI reported.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case against unidentified persons on Monday under relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the official said.
Police are examining CCTV footage from the area to identify the culprits, he added.
The incident comes just days after a separate case was filed against a resident of the same society. On March 27, a 43-year-old woman, an animal lover, alleged that the resident threatened to poison stray dogs following a dog-bite incident involving a minor. A case of criminal intimidation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered against him.
In a similar incident earlier in January this year, two unidentified men allegedly beat a stray dog to death and dumped its body into a drain near Ajit Glass Garden in Jogeshwari West on Saturday. The Oshiwara police have registered an FIR and launched a manhunt to trace the accused.
According to the police, the incident occurred around 4.15 pm when the duo allegedly assaulted a brown stray dog with bamboo sticks before throwing the grievously injured animal into a drain nearby. The dog reportedly stopped moving shortly after.
Local residents, alerted by the commotion, reached the spot and rushed the dog to a nearby veterinary clinic, but doctors declared it dead during examination. Subsequently, a complaint was filed by Kumari Gunjan Shankar Ram Jaiswal, 18, a resident of the area. Gunjan told the police that she and her sister Lali witnessed the brutal assault. "One man was wearing a black T-shirt and the other a white shirt. They repeatedly struck the dog with bamboo sticks. The dog was badly injured before they threw it into the drain," Gunjan stated.
Gunjan told police that while she does not know the accused by name, she can identify them. She has demanded strict legal action against the two men.
The statement was recorded at Oshiwara police station and verified by Assistant Police Inspector Dharmaji Dokhare. The police confirmed that a case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and further investigation is underway.
According to locals, the dog was gentle-natured and posed no threat. The alleged motive behind the killing was that the dog "barked" and disturbed a few residents. Witnesses claimed that the accused attacked the dog while it was sleeping, striking its head repeatedly with sticks until it died.
(With PTI inputs)
