KARACHI: Police on Friday claimed to have arrested a man for his alleged involvement in killing a street dog after a video of the slaying went viral on social media.

In the video, the suspect was seen dragging the female dog, said to be pregnant, with a rope and then killed the animal by hanging her with an iron grill.

Korangi SSP Tariq Nawaz said that the police had taken cognisance of the incident and picked up the man, identified as Akmal Ali, and registered a case against him on behalf of the state.

He said that initially the police had asked a non-governmental organisation working for animal welfare to become a party/complainant to the case but since no one turned up, the FIR was lodged on the complaint of a police officer under Section 429 (Mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc., of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

According to Section 429 of the PPC, “Whoever commits mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless, any elephant, camel, horse, mule, buffalo, bull, cow or ox, whatever may be the value thereof, or any other animal of the value of fifty rupees or upwards, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both.”

Saudabad SHO Raja Zulfiqar Haider said that the law was very clear for killing a pet dog but it was a street dog.

He said the suspect might have adopted a wrong method of killing the dog. He opined that the held suspect, who worked at Malir’s Liaquat Market, appeared to be emotionally disturbed.

In a tweet, JFK Animal Rescue and Shelter stated that the suspect was a market watchman and “reportedly he has killed several other dogs before killing this female dog brutally”.

Published in Dawn, May 27TH, 2023