Pune: An ageing stray dog was cruelly mowed down by a car in a hit-and-run incident in Ambegaon days ago, while crossing a narrow lane to reach her afternoon meal. The driver did not stop to check on the fatally injured animal after the incident and fled from the spot.Animal welfare worker and local feeder Shahbaz Mehmood Khan (52), who filed a police complaint in this regard, said he had been feeding the senior community canine for over a decade. Khan told TOI, “We named her ‘Bhuri’ due to the brown patches on her coat She was gentle, known for her friendly nature, and had been a familiar presence in the area for many years now.”The incident took place around 1.50pm on Aug 23. CCTV footage procured from the spot in Santoshnagar, Katraj, shows Bhuri waiting by the roadside for a tempo to pass. Khan said, “She was coming to the designated spot where she is regularly fed in the afternoon. The hit-and-run took place right outside my home and when her heard her loud cries of pain, we rushed outside.”He added, “She was carefully trying to cross the road and had waited for the tempo to pass. But before she could reach the other side while walking gently, the car refused to slow down and suddenly ran over her, then did not even stop. Her torso was totally crushed.” It was evident that Bhuri had not survived the mowing down.Khan called the emergency number 112, whereupon a beat marshal reached the spot and advised Khan to take Bhuri’s body for a postmortem examination at the state-run animal husbandry facility on Aundh Road. A veterinary officer examined the dog and later declared her dead.The feeder also handed over clear CCTV footage of the mowing down to the police. “The police were cooperative and came when they were called. They told me to take the dog’s body for post-mortem so that the procedure could be followed and action taken against the culprit. The driver saw Bhuri crossing the road but continued at increased speed instead of slowing down or taking evasive action. In a narrow lane like this, the car should anyway have been travelling slowly,” Khan said.Senior inspector Sharad Zine of Ambegaon police station told TOI, “A resident of Katraj was driving his car and claims he failed to spot the stray dog on the road. We questioned the car driver after registering the case and we found that he killed the dog deliberately. We have served him a notice, asking him to cooperate with the investigation.”Stray dog killed in SahakarnagarIn another similar incident on Aug 26, a young stray dog was allegedly deliberately mowed down by a vehicle driven by a woman in Sahakarnagar. A local animal welfare volunteer and Sahakarnagar resident (40) filed the complaint in this regard.Senior inspector Vitthal Pawar of Sahakarnagar police station said, “The woman was driving home to the Taljai Pathar area. The dog, just around one-and-a-half years old, was sleeping on the road. The driver honked and the dog woke up. The dog started running when the driver deliberately ran over it. The entire incident was captured by CCTV cameras. Our team took the dog to Aundh hospital, where a post-mortem was conducted. It revealed that the young dog died of multiple injuries suffered on impact.”Pawar added, “We have identified the woman driver and called her to the police station. We will serve her a notice asking her to cooperate with the investigation.”
