Maharashtra’s state forensic team has been deployed to investigate the suspected killing of a stray dog, which went missing from a high-profile residential enclave in Malad. The incident marks the first time the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories (DFSL) has initiated a field forensics probe into an alleged stray dog murder in the city.
Forensic deployment
The investigation centers on a community dog named Mikey, who went missing from Madh’s Raheja Exotica housing society – a coastal neighbourhood home to several prominent Bollywood and television personalities. On Saturday, actor Sanket Kadam, a resident of the society, submitted a written complaint to the Malvani police station, on the basis of which a first information report (FIR) was registered.
According to Kadam's statement, he was informed on May 29 by Manjari Phadnis – an actor and resident of the society – that Mikey was missing from the society. He claimed that both of them actively circulated missing alerts on the society’s WhatsApp groups, urging anyone with information to come forward but did not receive any lead. However, he alleged that the society’s secretary offered vague answers when asked about the dog’s whereabouts while the society’s manager and housekeeping supervisor refused to show the CCTV footage, claiming that it had been “formatted.”
FIR registration
In his official statement to the police, Kadam alleged a history of systemic hostility toward the animal by the residential body's management. He accused the secretary and the housekeeping staff of resisting Mikey’s presence on the property and of having previously beaten the dog while making active attempts to forcibly evict him from the premises. Based on the context and situation, Kadam expressed severe apprehensions that Mikey was beaten to death and his body was disposed of to destroy crucial physical evidence.
While the local police jumped into action following the FIR and started their investigation based on human and technical intelligence, the state home department’s Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories has also initiated a field forensics probe. This marked the first time that the state forensic team has been deployed alongside the detection and cyber cell units to investigate the suspected killing of a neighbourhood stray dog.
Alleged history of hostility
According to sources close to the investigation, a specialised forensic unit from the DFSL team visited the housing society on Sunday and scanned the suspected spots inside the society and successfully retrieved multiple physical samples. Among the collected evidence is suspected blood spatter, which is currently undergoing laboratory analysis to determine whether it belongs to the missing canine.
While animal cruelty cases are treated with low priority, often resulting in minor, non-cognisable reports or negligible fines, the deployment of the state’s top forensic department signifies a stark shift in how local authorities are treating crimes against community animals. The findings of the DFSL blood sample analysis are expected to dictate the next course of action in the case.
Animal welfare activist Xavier Santiago, who is assisting Kadam and Phadnis in the case, demanded that intentional killing of an animal should be tried for criminal conspiracy under Section 61 of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. “This is an act of intentional killing, which is a part of a criminal conspiracy. If there is a conspiracy for intentional killing of a living being, it should be tried under BNS 61, leading to the death penalty or life sentence. Today, they have criminally conspired to kill an animal, it won't be long before they conspire to kill a human being.”
On Monday, Phadnis posted a video through her Instagram account, claiming that a person confessed that Mikey was beaten with a rod, dragged to the staircase area where it was beaten repeatedly, put in a gunny bag and thrown in the creek area nearby. “He was a long-haired dog. We used to take him home, give him a bath, groom him, detangle his hair. He was such a happy boy but now he is gone,” she said. Various actors, including Nushrratt Bharuccha, Bhumi Pednekar, and Sandhya Mridul, among others, reacted to the video and demanded justice for Mikey.
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