Mahabubnagar (Telangana) [India], March 20 (ANI): The Telangana police arrested three persons in connection with the shooting of 20 dogs and seized the rifle used for it, a police officer said.

The Telangana Police said on February 17 that a probe has been initiated into the incident in which over 20 stray dogs were found dead in a village in the state's Mahabubnagar district.

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The accused were identified as Narasimha Reddy, Tariq Ahmed and Taheer.

According to police, three people were arrested and remanded yesterday in the case where dogs were shot dead. The accused are Narasimha Reddy, Tariq Ahmed and Taheer. We have seized a Benz car and a rifle. The rifle licence is in the name of Tariq but it was fired by Narasimha Reddy.

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The police further said that Narasimha Reddy has 2 pet dogs in Hyderabad. He had taken one of the pet dogs to his mother-in-law's village in Ponnakal. The village dogs had attacked the pet dog, leading to its death. Narasimha Reddy, out of anger, engaged in killing 20 dogs with the other accused.

According to locals, the incident took place at Ponnakal village, Addakal mandal of Mahabubnagar, late on February 16 in the late night.

After the incident came to light, a group of animal activists approached the police and lodged a complaint.

They alleged that some masked men arrived in a car after midnight and opened fire on the strays.

They claimed that around 20 stray dogs were shot dead, and several others were injured.

"According to locals, a few masked men arrived in a car after midnight and opened fire on the dogs," Adulapuram Goutham, an animal activist, said.

"We have lodged a complaint with the police officials regarding this incident," the activist said. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)