A decomposed body of a dog discovered in Pune's Baner area

The bodies of the dogs were found near a drain in west Pune

When residents in Baner, a suburb in west Pune, could not stand some odour that hung in the air as if it came from burnt animal bodies, they went looking for the source of the stench. They immediately contacted an animal rescue group and what they found shocked them -- the decomposed bodies of four dogs and a pup that looked like they had been burnt alive, and 11 dogs that had been poisoned.Members of the non-profit group soon found some people who claimed they saw what happened to the animals.The four dogs and a pup were first tied up and sprayed with diesel before setting them on fire, the people who claimed to have seen the horrific act said. The dogs were left howling in pain as the fire engulfed them, the people told members of the Action for Animals Against Cruelty and Trauma or AaCT.On September 28, a man was seen feeding rotis to the dogs, which is now suspected to be poisoned food meant to kill the animals.AaCT member Neena Rai said local workers have claimed they saw some people from a nearby office tying the limbs of four dogs and dragging them for some 50 metres before setting them on fire.The burnt and decomposed bodies of the dogs were found scattered near a drain over an area of 2,000 square feet or roughly the size of half a tennis court.Police said the decomposed bodies of two dogs have been given to a local polytechnic, and a criminal case will be filed after the laboratory gives a report.

"There is so much crime and senseless killings of animals happening in this city," AaCT chief Meher Mathrani said. "I met with senior police officers... We have been asking for a special nodal office for animal welfare," Mr Mathrani said.The animal welfare group said the police must take crime against animals seriously. "Letters have been sent from high-ranking officers from the central government to support animal welfare officers... these directions don't seem to have filtered through to the city police," Mr Mathrani said.