Around 50 street dogs have been poisoned and killed in Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, since the first week of September 2024. Residents who accessed CCTV footage have spotted an unidentified man serving food, allegedly poisoned, to the street dogs from ASP Nagar, JR Nagar, Senthil Nagar, and other adjoining areas. The dogs that were spotted eating the food in the CCTV footage were found dead. A complaint has been registered with the Tiruvallur B1 Town police who are investigating the matter.

Karthikeyan, a resident of ASP Nagar, said, “In the first week of September, I noticed that a couple of our street dogs were missing. But I didn’t suspect anything. On September 21, my own dog, an indie, was among those who seem to have eaten poisoned food that was served to them at night. After eating that food, most of the dogs, including mine, died.” 

He added, “I rushed two dogs to a private veterinary hospital on September 22, in Perambur, Chennai, where the doctor confirmed that they were poisoned. One of the dogs died but I managed to save the other.” 

After the incident, Karthikeyan, along with his neighbours, accessed CCTV footage from September 21 that showed a man serving food to the street dogs. He said that the dogs that consumed the food were all found dead.

Residents of JR Nagar and Senthil Nagar also complained that dogs from their neighbourhood were found dead within a 1 km radius. They informed the Tiruvallur Municipality councillors from wards 12 and 13 and registered a Community Service Register complaint with the Tiruvallur B1 Town police on September 24.

Ward 12 councillor Thomas (a) Rajkumar told TNM that the killing of dogs has come as a surprise since there has been no recent complaints of rabid dogs in his ward. “The number of dead dogs that the sanitation workers have been recovering from my ward are alarming. On a day in the beginning of September, the workers found six dead dogs. Then on September 22, they found 12 dead dogs from the street. The total number is around 50 and I have informed the Municipality.”

Speaking to TNM, B1 police Sub Inspector K Velu said that they are trying to identify the individual from the CCTV footage. “Once we identify the person, we will file a First Information Report,” he said.