📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / RATAN2015
Crime
Mob attacks homes and vehicles in Nalasopara after man allegedly kicks stray dog
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 04 Nov 2026, 08:31 PM
👁 13
A crowd in Nalasopara, Mumbai, smashed houses and cars after a man was seen kicking a stray dog, prompting police to register FIRs against several participants.
A mob gathered in the Nalasopara suburb of Mumbai on Tuesday after a passerby allegedly kicked a stray dog. Angered residents surged onto nearby lanes, breaking windows, damaging doors and overturning parked vehicles in what witnesses described as a spontaneous outburst of anger.
Police arrived within minutes and attempted to disperse the crowd, but the vandalism continued for several hours before order was restored. The local police station subsequently filed first‑information reports (FIRs) against a number of individuals identified from CCTV footage and eyewitness statements.
Authorities said the incident underscores rising tensions over animal cruelty and public safety. Under the Maharashtra Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, kicking a stray dog is a punishable offence, and the police have pledged to investigate both the assault on the animal and the property damage caused by the mob.
The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have warned that anyone found responsible for the vandalism will face charges under the Indian Penal Code and relevant municipal laws.
Police arrived within minutes and attempted to disperse the crowd, but the vandalism continued for several hours before order was restored. The local police station subsequently filed first‑information reports (FIRs) against a number of individuals identified from CCTV footage and eyewitness statements.
Authorities said the incident underscores rising tensions over animal cruelty and public safety. Under the Maharashtra Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, kicking a stray dog is a punishable offence, and the police have pledged to investigate both the assault on the animal and the property damage caused by the mob.
The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have warned that anyone found responsible for the vandalism will face charges under the Indian Penal Code and relevant municipal laws.