Two stray dogs were found dead in a New Alipore neighbourhood where a burglary was reported from an apartment on Sunday morning.
Residents of the flat — on the ground floor of a four-storey building at 16/8B Sahapur Colony — alleged that the burglars killed the dogs before the crime.
A police complaint has been lodged.
Rohan Kundu, 24, who lives in the flat, said their home was under lock and key as he and his mother had left for Ranaghat, in Nadia district, on Saturday afternoon.
They cut short their visit and hurried back after being informed about the burglary over the phone by Rohan’s father on Sunday morning.
The youth’s father lives in another building in the same neighbourhood, a family member said.
On returning home, Rohan found the door broken and the rooms ransacked. Mobile phones, cash and some coins were missing, he told the police.
“But what was very significant was the death of two stray dogs who used to live in front of our building,” Rohan said.
One of the stray dogs was found in front of the building.
“It had been hit by something blunt on its waist and was bleeding from its mouth. It appeared that its spine had been broken,” Kundu said.
The other stray dog was found inside an autorickshaw parked a few metres from the building housing the Kundus’ flat.
Rohan said the second dog, too, was bleeding from its mouth.
“I have a strong suspicion that the burglars killed the dogs because they thought the animals could raise an alarm,” he said.
An officer of New Alipore police station said they have received a complaint of
burglary.
“We are probing the matter,” he said.
The police said they will examine the footage captured by CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
The building where the Kundus live does not have a security guard.