Stray dog shot with airgun for late-night barks in Mumbai’s Oshiwara | Mumbai News

The dog’s lungs have been punctured

MUMBAI: A stray dog has landed in hospital due to injury it sustained after being shot at by an airgun at Shantivan, a residential complex at Oshiwara, around 2.30 am on Saturday. A man, Prashant Anandray Laxmaeshwar, (52), and his son, Aditya (26), have been detained for interrogation to find out which of them had fired at the dog, the police said, adding that an airgun found at their house has been confiscated.
The dog’s barking had allegedly annoyed the shooter who used the airgun belonging to the father. For now, a case has been registered against an unidentified person, said an officer from Oshiwara police station.
The dog is battling for life after a bullet punctured its lungs, said Rita Taneja who feeds stray dogs in the locality.
The dog has suffered extensive blood loss and has been admitted to the intensive care of a veterinary hospital in Andheri, said Dhaval Shah of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association. “We are demanding strict legal action against the person who shot at the dog,” said Shah.
Residents of the building saw the dog bleeding from the mouth and with a hole in the stomach, said senior inspector Daya Nayak of the crime branch. “From the wounds, it was clear that someone had shot at the dog from the first floor of building 6,” he said.
An X-ray done on the stray canine showed a “bullet-like object lodged in the stomach”, the officer said.
Dr Nandini Kulkarni, honorary animal welfare officer attached to the state committee to monitor animal welfare laws, said: “It is natural for dogs to bark. We humans must show some sensitivity towards animals, since they too have the right to live. Dogs actually depend on human beings for their survival, as we feed them. It is cruel and criminal to shoot at them with weapons.”