65-year-old Baburao More was arrested by the Pune City Police for allegedly raping a female stray dog. The incident is reported to have taken place on 4 April 2021, near Senapati Bapat Road in Shivajinagar’s Model Colony. The accused was spotted by 27-year-old RESQ Charitable Trust volunteer Pallavi Gowda who is also a resident living near the Senapati Bapat road.
She had observed a security guard from a building nearby routinely take the stray under his building. After three days of tailing the accused the volunteers caught him in the act and he was subsequently handed over the police. It has now been revealed that the accused had been doing so since October 2020.
Speaking about the incident, she said, “I became suspicious and followed him one day where he had taken the dog in a secluded area where I saw him crouched down holding the dog. I found him on his knees moving and since he realised someone was watching him, he quickly walked out. Later the same night he tried to take the dog again a few times which is when I informed Dr Shambhavi who then immediately informed Pune District Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) member Neha Panchamia”.
A First Incident Report (FIR) was registered in Pune’s Chatushrungi Police Station based on Gowda’s complaint. The accused was booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 377 for unnatural offenses and Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act for treating animals cruelly.
Neha Panchamia the founder and president of RESQ Charitable Trust and member of the Pune District SPCA said, “Such incidents happen more commonly than we think but because of lack of evidence or proper witness, these cases never see justice. When I was informed of this case, I immediately put my team with cameras and the volunteer Pallavi onto quietly tracking this person.”
“We needed proper eyewitness and evidence to catch this man and have a solid case. There is a scientifically proven correlation between animal abuse bestiality and community violence, whether it is women or children. A growing body of research indicated that people who commit acts of bestiality towards animals rarely stop there,” she added.
The accused was nabbed after being under surveillance for three days when he was eventually caught on camera treading towards the stray. The accused is reported to have picked the stray up and tried to take it towards an isolated area inside the building.
It was at this juncture that the accused was caught, and the bitch taken to safety. The RESQ Charitable trust team called the police who quickly reached the scene to arrest the accused. The stray is presently undergoing rehabilitation at RESQ Charitable trust’s center in Bavdhan.
Trust Founder, Panchamia spoke about the stray’s state and how animals become defenseless victims to such criminal acts, “She is currently extremely frightened. Unlike humans, animals succumb to bestiality or unnatural acts of intercourse without much resistance, and that is why they often become the victims of such acts. We are going to do everything we can to make sure there is justice for this animal and hope to set a strong precedent for the future to deter anyone who is even thinking about subjecting an innocent and voiceless animal to such atrocity.”