In a disturbing case of animal cruelty, members of a housing society in Kandivali (East) allegedly dumped 15 to 20 stray dogs, including puppies, deep inside the Aarey forest on Sunday. Mumbai Police has filed a criminal complaint against four members of Samarth Nagar Cooperative Housing Society, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNS).
The accused named in the complaint are Divya Vichare, Ravi Jodvekar, Nitin Alkunde, and Rohit Sawant, residents of the society as per reports. Samta Nagar police station is currently investigating the case. The stray dogs and puppies were allegedly picked up from a location near an SRA building in Kandivali East and then released in a forested patch at Aarey.
Video viral on social media
A video has gone viral on social media showing a group of stray dogs and puppies being relocated via a small goods carrier to Aarey Milk Colony. The video has left animal lovers disturbed and agitated. Members of NGOs working for the welfare of stray animals visited Aarey on Tuesday night and Wednesday. They managed to rescue five dogs and a puppy and recovered the dead bodies of two puppies, suspected to have been killed by a wild animal.
Animal rights activists, who reached Aarey on Tuesday evening after seeing a video of a mini truck dropping the animals in the forest, rescued one dog that night. On Wednesday, they went back and rescued nine animals, including a puppy. Three pups were found dead with bite marks suspected to be those of a leopard. Rescuers fear that the other puppies could have been killed and eaten up by the leopards.
Aarey Colony — territory of leopards
Reshma Shelatkar, an animal rights activist who reached the forest on Tuesday evening, said that she suspects that stray animals and pets are regularly abandoned in the area. “I feed stray dogs whenever I visit the area. I see new dogs every time, and they seem to vanish the next time I go there. They are probably being picked up by leopards,” said Shelatkar. “There are hardly any stray dogs in Aarey because it is leopard territory.”
Animal lovers shocked and disturbed
The incident has left animal lovers across the nation disturbed who want severe punishment for the perpetrators and stricter laws for animal cruelty in India.
“It is deeply disturbing and condemnable that dogs were deliberately abandoned in leopard-inhabited areas—left to die as bait or in fear. This heartless act reflects a shocking lack of humanity and awareness. Relocating or abandoning animals like this is not only cruel but also illegal. It endangers both wildlife and domestic animals and must be treated as a serious offense. Authorities must investigate and hold those responsible accountable. This is not just a violation of animal rights—I believe it is a moral failure,” Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-based wildlife rescuer Ashish Joshi told The CSR Journal.
