Woman Sets 5 Puppies On Fire Using A Flaming Torch; Incident Caught On Video

KEY POINTS

The five puppies were found safe Tuesday by animal rights activists
One of the puppies, as well as the litter's mother, suffered burn injuries
The woman now faces animal cruelty charges over the incident

A woman in the Indian state of Kerala faces animal cruelty charges after she was caught on video setting fire to five puppies over the weekend. All five puppies were later found safe.

The woman, identified as Mary from the village of Karumalloor in Manjali, Ernakulam, set fire to the dogs at her home on Saturday evening, The Times of India reported.

A video of the incident showed the woman setting the puppies on fire on her porch using a flambeau, according to the outlet. The motive behind the incident was unclear.

Animal rights activists reportedly found the 13-day-old animals Tuesday after conducting a search. One of the puppies was found with burn injuries.

The litter's mother reportedly escaped with burn injuries and was under the care of the Daya Animal Welfare organization in Muvattupuzha.

After the animal welfare organization filed a complaint, Mary later told police that there were seven puppies. The search for the other two dogs is still ongoing.

A case under Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code as well as section 11 (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has been registered at Alangad police station.

Offenses under Section 429 of the IPC, which punishes the killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless of any animal worth Rs 50 (0.$68) or more, carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine.

A similar incident in Sydney, Australia, resulted in a 6-month-old puppy being euthanized in May.

The Staffordshire bull terrier had been deliberately set on fire by a 39-year-old man on May 14. Emergency services had been called to the scene to extinguish the blaze and found the young dog with severe burns. No person was injured in the fire.

"The puppy was subsequently humanely euthanized by police," officials said.

An investigation into the incident was launched, and the property's occupant was arrested and taken to Liverpool police station.

Police charged the man with committing an act of aggravated cruelty upon an animal and damaging property by fire after he was questioned. He was refused bail after his appearance at Liverpool Local Court.