The Karnataka police have arrested 12 persons, including a gram panchayat secretary, in connection with the burying of 150 stray dogs alive at a village of Shivamogga district, sources said on Monday.
The horrifying incident came to light on September 7.
The police arrested persons who allegedly injected poison into the stray dogs, two members of gram panchayat, a JCB operator, and secretary and bill collector of the Kambadalu-Hosur gram panchayat.
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The gram panchayat gave the task of catching and sterilising stray dogs within panchayat limits to private contractors. It was proposed in the meeting and the emolument rate was fixed for the exercise.
The contractor was supposed to catch stray dogs and release them after the neutering exercise.
The members of panchayat, including the secretary and others conspired, planned and executed the plan of injecting the dogs allegedly with poison and burying them alive, police said.
The villagers and animal activists lodged a complaint.
The police have got the post-mortem conducted on 60 dogs. The skin, hair and liver samples have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).