Three pit bull dogs maul neighbour’s cow to death in Bhondsi

A farmer was booked on Tuesday after his three dogs, all reportedly of the pit bull breed, allegedly mauled a neighbour’s cow to death in Behlpa village of Bhondsi on Monday morning, police said.

Taking cognisance of the incident, Pradeep Singh, subdivisional magistrate of Sohna, said they will send a team to the village and get the matter inquired into and take appropriate action.

Police said the cow belonged to Harender Kumar (40), who has a herd of around 30-35 cattle and is a supplier of milk to locals and companies.

According to investigators, Kumar freed his cows and buffalos from the shed to send them to the hills to graze. They said one of the cows was frightened by a camel up on the hill and it bolted towards the village to reach the cattle shed when the dogs attacked it around 6am.

Villagers said the cow initially ran for several hundred metres to escape the chasing dogs, but the canines allegedly managed to bring it down and kill it.

They said one of the villagers alerted Kumar over phone that his cow was being attacked by the pit bulls and he rushed to rescue the bovine.

Investigators said by the time Kumar reached the spot, the dogs had alleged killed the cow and mutilated the carcass.

They said Kumar and another villager alerted the police control room and an emergency response vehicle reached the spot within 10-15 minutes.

Investigators said the suspect, aged about 50 years, owns several acres of farmland in the village, which is his main source of income.

“Earlier, he had a few stray dogs at his residence. Three years ago, he purchased these three ferocious pit bulls. He has a horse, four to five cows and a few other livestock too,” Kumar said.

On Kumar’s complaint, an FIR was registered under Section 429 (committing mischief by killing, maiming or rendering useless any cow, horse, elephant etc) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Bhondsi police station on Monday night, said police.

Investigators said a government veterinarian carried out an autopsy of the carcass at the spot and the report is awaited.

Inspector Samer Kumar, station house officer of Bhondsi police station, said they served notice to the dog owner to join the investigation. “We will also write to the authorities seeking direction on the dogs and to ascertain whether they are of a prohibited breed or not,” he said.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) declined comment on the matter on the grounds that the village was not in their jurisdiction.

Pradeep Singh, subdivisional magistrate of Sohna, said they will send a team to the village and get the matter inquired into. “This incident has just come to my knowledge,” he said, adding, “Necessary action will be taken as per law if there is threat to life to the residents or others animals from these dogs. We will seek guidance from officials of the department of animal husbandry to understand what the law says about such dogs and instances.”