Mumbai: A 52-year-old builder from Andheri (west) faces charges for shooting a stray dog with an airgun on Sunday. The Oshiwara police have served a notice to Prashant Laxmaneshwar and intend to record his arrest during the chargesheet filing.
According to Laxmaneshwar, he discharged the weapon from his first-floor flat window early Sunday, disturbed by the dog’s continuous barking.A police officer from Oshiwara station stated, “We have seized his airgun, which he had purchased from Karnataka, where he previously used it to ward off monkeys at his farmhouse.”
The investigating officer noted inconsistencies in the accused’s statement, particularly given that he owns two pedigree dogs.
Senior Inspector Daya Nayak from Mumbai Crime Branch (unit 9) is conducting a parallel investigation to determine the actual motivation for the shooting.
The event took place at 2.30 am when dogs were playing near Shantivan building no.6 in Andheri (West), followed by gunshot sounds. “The residents discovered a stray dog with mouth bleeding and a stomach wound. It became evident that someone had fired from the first floor of building number 6. Animal welfare advocates from Building 7 promptly transported the injured dog to a nearby hospital,” said Nayak.
Nayak, who inspected both the location and hospital with colleagues, reported that the medical officer confirmed the presence of a bullet in the stray dog through X-ray examination. The investigation continues to progress, according to Nayak.