Kothapally police on Saturday arrested four persons on charges of subjecting a stray dog to cruelty before beating it to death in the mandal headquarters town near Karimnagar five days ago.
The incident came to light on Friday after a person brought the incident to the notice of Member of Parliament and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi over phone. She in turn called Karimnagar police commissioner V. Satyanarayana informing him about it, sources said.
Mr Satyanarayana asked the local police to inquire into the incident and take appropriate action against those responsible for it.
Following the instructions, Kothapally police booked four persons under Section 429 of the IPC and arrested them on Saturday.
Pet cruelty
In a separate incident, the Godavarikhani One Town police rescued an injured pet dog, which was allegedly subjected to cruelty by its owner at Durganagar in the coal town of Peddapalli district on Saturday.
Moved by the plight of the injured dog, some locals recorded the alleged ill-treatment by its owner on their mobile phone and sent the video clip to an animal rights activist. Acting on a tip-off, police rescued the dog and ensured proper treatment before handing it over to an animal rescue organisation, sources added.
Timely intervention of the police in rescuing the injured dog earned them appreciation from animal rights activists.
