Thane: The Thane city police on Tuesday detained two attendants of a pet grooming center after a video of them beating up a dog went viral. Those detained have been identified as Mayur Adhav, 19 and Prashant Gaikwad, 20, both residents of Vashind, police said. The viral video sparked outrage among animal rights activists who landed in large numbers to protest outside the grooming center. The dog in the video, Tofu, is a Chow Chow breed and is about two years old, said Nilesh Bhange from the organization PAWS. “The video seems to be a week old and it only came into the public domain after one of the accused shared it on his Snapchat status. Some animal activists saw it and then it went viral,” he said. Tofu’s owner was on vacation and kept him in a nearby kennel. Kennel authorities took Tofu to the grooming center where he was beaten. “Owners are shocked at the treatment of their pet,” Bhange said. Kshama Shirodkar, Thane Municipal Corporation’s veterinary officer, said a non-cognizable offense has been registered with the police. A senior police official said, “We have registered an NC and further investigation is underway. It is not very clear why the dog was subjected to such cruelty. Things will become clear as the investigation continues.” Meanwhile, Gaurav Ajmera, founder of Vetic grooming center, said that the services of the two groomers involved in the attack have been terminated. Bhange said animal rights activists wanted a cognizable offense to be registered against the two. The NC was registered at the Chitalsar police station under section 11 (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
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