Neighbour poisons 35 pigeons to take ‘revenge’ for her missing cat

Bareilly: A woman in Shahjahanpur allegedly poisoned 35 pigeons owned by her neighbour as she suspected him of having "kidnapped" her cat that has been missing since December last year.Complainant Waris Ali, 32, is a resident of Jalalnagar locality in Shahjahanpur city and is a professional pigeon trainer. He had kept around 80 pigeons on his terrace. Waris told TOI, "My neighbouring family runs a tent business from their home and their carriage vehicles often block the road due to which we get into heated conversations. When their cat went missing a month ago, they levelled allegations of kidnapping against me. But the accusation was incorrect as I am also an animal lover. They had threatened to kill my pigeons to take revenge and on Thursday, one of their family members jumped from their roof to ours and started feeding poisonous grains to my pigeons. By the time I found the truth, many of my pigeons had already eaten the grains and died in front of my eyes." Circle officer (city) Akhand Pratap Singh told TOI, "We have sent the carcasses to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) for autopsy. Waris's statement has been recorded and the accused was also questioned. Further action will be taken as per the findings of the autopsy report." He added, "An FIR has been registered under section 428 (mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless any animal) of the IPC against the woman." Kanwardeep Singh