Police have registered a case against nine individuals following the alleged killing of around 300 stray dogs in Hanumakonda.

The complaint, filed on January 9 by animal welfare activists Adulapuram Goutham and Farzana Begum, claimed that the killings took place over three days, from January 6, in Shayampet and Arepally villages. The activists alleged that the Sarpanches and Gram Panchayat Secretaries had hired two men to poison the dogs and subsequently dispose of the carcasses on the outskirts of the villages.

Authorities at Shyampet police station registered the case under relevant sections of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, along with other applicable laws.

Police said further investigation is ongoing to ascertain the full circumstances behind the incident and to identify anyone else involved.