At least 12 puppies have died in a locality in Siliguri since Saturday evening and the animals are suspected to have been poisoned.

A number of groups of animal lovers have demanded a probe into the animals' deaths.

According to the residents, around 10pm on Saturday, the carcasses of puppies were spotted at Subhashpally near Baghajatin Park, which is in ward 18 of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation.

While some of the carcasses were found in a drain, others were found in nearby areas.

“Around 10pm, I got the information from local people and rushed to the spot. I, too, saw the carcasses and passed the information to the police,” Sanjay Sharma, the local councillor, said.

“We have not seen such a ruthless crime against animals in the city in the recent past. The incident has nudged every resident of the locality. I have requested the police to look into the matter seriously as there are suspicions that those have been killed by poisoning. The police should find the truth and if the canines have been killed, steps should be taken against those involved in the heinous act,” he added.

The incident occurred within 24 hours after seven dogs were killed by poisoning in Pundibari of Cooch Behar district. The police have nabbed one Satyen Barman, a local resident, for serving poisoned food to the dogs. It was learnt that he did it out of vengeance as a dog had bitten one of his goats.

Amit Sarkar, the secretary of Darjeeling District Legal Aid Forum, who reached the spot with representatives of other animal lovers’ organisations, said at least 10 carcasses were found in the spot while two more were found on Sunday.

“This was a terrible incident. The canine population has increased across the city, but simultaneously a number of shelters for dogs have come up. We have urged the civic authority to utilize its infrastructure and also involve representatives of animal lovers’ organisations to prevent such incidents in future,” Sarkar, who also runs a canine shelter home in Siliguri, said.