Mumbai, Feb 12: The Mumbai Police conducted a cross-state operation to trace an individual accused of sexually assaulting a puppy, in a significant escalation of enforcement against animal cruelty. This marks the first time the city's police force travelled to another state specifically to serve a notice in an animal rape case.
Accused allegedly abused two-month-old puppy
On January 18, Vikas Paswan (20) was nabbed red-handed by a local animal feeder and other residents while allegedly sexually abusing a two-month-old puppy inside a public toilet of Narayan Shukla Chawl in Malad’s Kurar village. The accused, who is also a resident of the same chawl, had allegedly abused the defenceless puppy after locking it in but was nabbed after locals heard the puppy screaming.
The residents rushed the dog to a nearby veterinary clinic, where the doctor confirmed that it was sexually abused through unnatural intercourse. The Kurar Police booked Paswan under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 11(1)(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act.
Accused tracked to Uttar Pradesh village
Shortly after the incident gained local attention, the suspect fled Mumbai, hoping to evade legal action by returning to his native village in northern India. In an attempt to signal a zero-tolerance policy toward animal cruelty, the Kurar Police launched a manhunt against Paswan and tracked the suspect's movement based on digital footprints and local intelligence.
He was tracked down to Hardi village in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, nearly 1,500 kilometres away from the scene of the crime. On February 1, a three-member team of Kurar Police, including Police Sub-Inspector Tushar Dawane, Head Constable Prashant Kadam and Head Constable Sachin Tandel, nabbed the accused from his hometown with the help of the local police.
However, the local court did not grant a transit remand to the police to arrest Paswan and to take him along, as the charges against him were offences with imprisonment up to five years. However, Mumbai Police issued a notice under Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, legally binding him to cooperate with the investigation.
Police and activists hail action
Kurar Police Station’s Senior Inspector Sanjeev Tawade said, “As soon as we got to know about the disgusting act, we immediately filed a non-cognisable offence and subsequently registered an FIR once we got the medical reports. However, it was a challenge to nab him as he eloped to his native village, but the team carried out the operation under ACP sir’s guidance. We continuously strive to work with animal lovers and provide justice to animals.”
Animal rights advocates hailed the move as a watershed moment for animal law enforcement in India, as historically such cases were often deprioritised. However, the resources deployed for this cross-state operation suggest a shifting tide in how the police view animal welfare. Animal activists felicitated the Senior PI and the investigating officer Dawane on Wednesday for their commendable work.
Xavier Santiago, an animal welfare activist, said, “DCP Mahesh Chimte played a very crucial role here as he understood that the accused can be arrested in this case and put a team together. The team stayed there for seven days as they faced resistance from the locals for two days. We are hopeful that the omitted Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code will be invoked in this case as the police are working on a very strong chargesheet.”
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Legal experts believe that if the accused does not appear for hearing after the first summons is issued, a non-bailable arrest warrant can be issued against him and he can be sent to judicial custody until he is sentenced for the crime.
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