The Bhadravati Rural Police have arrested 12 people including two members of Kambadal Hosur Gram Panchayat in connection with the death of over 60 dogs.
The carcasses of the stray dogs were found near Hunasakatte last week. Shivamogga Superintendent of Police B.M. Laxmi Prasad, in a press release on Sunday, informed the media that two panchayat members, a panchayat secretary, a bill collector, an operator of an earthmover and seven others had been arrested.
Following complaints of dog menace in the village, the panchayat officials and elected members allegedly consulted dog catchers in Mysuru. The accused caught the dogs and administered poison injections, before dumping them in vacant land with the help of an earthmover, it is said.
The police have collected the samples of the carcasses for forensic examination. The local animal rescue committee had filed the case against the panchayat officials.