Kerala truck driver arrested for killing cat, sharing grisly act on social media

Palakkad, Aug 6
A 32-year-old man was arrested in Palakkad, Kerala, on charges of brutally killing a cat and posting the cruel acts on social media, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Shajir, a truck driver from Muthukulam-Paramba near Cherpulassery, was arrested on Tuesday evening following a complaint lodged by a local animal rescue volunteer.

According to the police, Shajir allegedly lured the cat with food before killing it inside his vehicle.

He posted the visuals of the brutal acts on his WhatsApp status. The brutality did not end there -- he is also accused of smashing the remains, including the severed head, with a jack lever.

The visuals, which quickly went viral, sparked outrage among residents and animal rights groups.

A case was registered under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The police said that the arrest was made after verifying the authenticity of the visuals during preliminary investigation. Shajir was later released on bail.

Further inquiry is underway to ascertain whether the act was premeditated or shared with others.

This is not an isolated incident in Kerala. In March this year, two men in Kozhikode were booked for beating a stray dog to death using iron rods near a fish market.

In another case from Malappuram in 2023, a college student was arrested for throwing a puppy off a terrace while recording the act on video.

In yet another disturbing instance, a man in Alappuzha was held last year for poisoning several street dogs and burying them in a vacant plot near his house.

In Munnar, the local panchayat is facing a probe after complaints of culling about 200 stray dogs and burying them at a waste disposal area near the town.

The police exhumed four carcasses, and further investigation is on into the incident.

The panchayat has denied the allegation, saying that the local body buried only the carcasses of dogs that were found on the roads in the hill station area.