Kathmandu —
Police in India’s Telangana state have identified a suspect in the killing of at least 250 stray dogs that were allegedly poisoned over the past two days in three villages of Kamareddy district.
According to a senior Kamareddy police official, the accused, Kishor Pandey, was traced to Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. A team comprising an inspector and a sub-inspector has been formed to monitor and take control of the situation. The official said Pandey will be served a notice to appear before the police, and further interrogation will be carried out to identify others involved in the killings.
Police claimed that villagers have so far been hiding the suspect and are not cooperating with the investigation.
The case was registered against four people on January 12 following a complaint filed by animal rights activist Adulapuram Gautam. In his complaint, Gautam alleged that stray dogs were systematically poisoned in multiple villages. It is alleged that the killings were carried out after the accused was hired by three village sarpanches.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the killings were linked to promises made during the recent Gram Panchayat elections in December, in which candidates pledged to address the issue of stray dogs and monkeys. Police said the accused allegedly went from village to village and administered poisonous injections to the dogs, causing instant death.
A veterinary team has exhumed the carcasses and conducted post-mortem examinations. Viscera samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to determine the exact cause of death and identify the poison used.
The incident follows a similar case reported earlier this month in Hanumakonda district, where around 300 stray dogs were allegedly killed in Shayampet and Arepalli villages. In that case, police registered cases against nine people, including two women sarpanches, their husbands, Gram Panchayat secretaries, and two hired individuals.
Shayampet police inspector Ranjith Rao said notices were issued to the accused under Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. As the offence carries a punishment of up to seven years in prison, immediate arrests were not made. He added that while complaints claimed the killing of 300 dogs, investigations have so far confirmed the deaths of around 110 dogs. Five carcasses have undergone post-mortem examination, with samples sent to the FSL.
Officials further stated that in the Hanumakonda incident as well, dogs were killed using poisonous injections. The injections, filled with toxic substances, were reportedly attached to long wooden sticks and administered from a distance, leading to the dogs’ death within a minute.
Police have confirmed killings in Bhavanipet, Palvancha and Faridpet villages. On January 13, 2026, around 150 dog carcasses were found in Bhavanipet and Palvancha, while more than 90 additional deaths were confirmed in Faridpet on January 14, taking the total number of killed dogs to nearly 250.
