NAVI MUMBAI: Koparkhairane police have booked a 20-year-old man who worked as a groomer at a local pet care center after the owner found out that he was allegedly attacking pets there. The owner of the center, Lalima Thakur, examined the CCTV footage on a suspicion that the staff member, Dilip Kumar Sahu alias Rishi Sahu, had stolen money from the premises—which is how she stumbled upon the fact that Sahu had been brutalized the pets. .
“The issue of the money being stolen became less important after I saw the horrifying footage,” Thakur said. “Being a pet lover and a pet owner myself, it was unbearable for me to watch it. We both love pets, and that’s why we’re in this business. I have known Sahu for about five years, as he grooms my dog at his previous workplace and also takes my dog for walks. Because we trusted him, we decided to start this business and he worked.”
The footage found is from February 6, 2024, 9.30 am to March 18, 3.15 pm. Sahu was seen attacking seven different dogs with a wooden stick, belt and iron chain and was even seen punching the dogs and throwing them on the table.
After finding the footage, Thakur immediately terminated Sahu’s services last week with a letter signed by him, accepting his deeds. “When asked why he hurt the pets, he said it was because they were barking and urinating,” said Thakur, who then closed his business and took legal advice from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). He approached the Koparkhairane police and registered a case against Sahu on April 8.
“We don’t care about business; All we want is justice for the pets who have gone through this trauma,” said Thakur. “We also want to make sure that Sahu is not allowed near any pets in the future, and so we have posted about the incident and shared the footage with customers and other people. We will not start the business again until we find a professional, trained person.”
Senior police inspector Audumbar Patil said they will now approach the customers who own the attacked dogs, get certificates from their vets and then file a chargesheet. Sahu has been booked under sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
