MUMBAI: Vasai based animal feeder, Bhumika Hariya (30), was stunned to find early on Saturday that the cat she had rescued and adopted six months ago was now lying dead in front of her seventh floor flat, with two of her limbs (front and back) chopped off by an unknown person.
While an FIR has been filed against unknown accused for animal cruelty at Manikpur police station, Bhumika said that it is disturbing to see such a gory message sent to her by some depraved mind.
"Around six months ago, I had rescued a female kitten which I had noticed close to Casa Terraza in Vasai (west) where I reside. So, I had adopted her as a house pet and named the cat `Maitreyi'. Sometimes in the night, she used to go to the building terrace, which is just above my seventh floor flat. However, at around 6.30 am on Saturday, I was shocked to see Maitreyi's body lying outside my house door, with two of her limbs cut off. Strangely, there was no blood spilled on the flooring, so someone had slyly put the cat in this situation there after first chopping her limbs somewhere else,'' said Bhumika.
She added that Maitreyi was fully toilet trained at home, and so never dirtied the terrace or other parts of the building complex.
She first informed the People for Animals (PFA) activist and animal welfare officer, Vijay Rangare, and later lodged the FIR under the IPC section 429 and section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
Rangare said: "Bhumika also scanned the CCTV footage of her building from midnight to early Saturday morning, and found that no person had entered or left in that time period. I suspect that some animal hater had chopped the cat's limbs inside another flat, and later placed the body outside the seventh floor flat of Bhumika, since there is no CCTV camera in the corridors. There was not even a drop of blood anywhere on the staircase or the terrace; so foul play is suspected."
Bhumika, who runs her own business, added: ``During the post-mortem process of my cat, the doctor told me that it is likely that a dog had earlier fatally attacked the cat, and later somebody cut her limbs to put the body outside my flat. The full PM report is awaited. But, it still puzzles me on why someone would do such a horrible cruelty.''
Dr Nandini Kulkarni, who is a member of the high court appointed committee (due for renewal) to monitor animal welfare laws in the state, said: ``This is a horrendous animal cruelty case, which also threatens the animal feeder. I have written to the Maharashtra chief minister's office that: The crimes against the animals and also caretakers/feeders are rising. Stringent action needs to be taken, or else the situation will worsen in future. Protection Laws on the lines of violence against Doctors and Mediapersons are needed for Animal care takers/feeders also.''
