A resident of a posh complex in Mira Road ran over a puppy on Friday, its head crushed under the wheels of his Ford Figo. When animal activists confronted him about the matter, he boasted of his political links and said the pup 'would anyway have died sooner or later.'

The stray puppy was resting inside the complex called Poonam Gardens with his mother beside him, when another resident saw Sandeep Maheshwari drive his car over the animal. The puppy lay in a pool of blood, with its mother wailing continuously, attracting the attention of other residents.

Namrata Kotak, a housewife and resident of the complex who witnessed the incident, informed animal activist Salim Charania of the Peace for Animal Welfare Association (PAWA). "The pup's mother has stopped eating and is wailing continuously. We can feel the pain she is going through right now. The accused should get the strictest punishment. I saw him driving over the puppy," said Kotak.

"We rushed to the spot after the receiving the complaint. Maheshwari was boasting about his political links and showed no remorse. In fact, he said that puppy would anyway have died sooner or later," said Charania.

Charania also spoke about the insensitive remarks he often encounters in animal cruelty cases. "I am shocked at the way the accused reacts to the incident. A life has been lost. But for them, animals have no value," he said.

A case has been registered against Maheshwari. A Mira road police officer said, "We have booked him under sections 279 (rash driving), 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Indian Penal Code and under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Motor Vehicles Acts. We will arrest him soon, and he will be produced in Thane court."