CHENNAI: The police arrested a 49-year-old software engineer who poisoned and killed 17 stray dogs in Madambakkam near Tambaram.

On September 9th, the residents found stray dogs dead with blood oozing from their mouths on several streets in Madambakkam. They were found dead in Yashwant Nagar, Bhuvaneswari Nagar, ALS Nagar and Padmavathi Nagar, which come under Ward 69 of Tambaram Corporation. After residents alerted Tambaram Corporation officials, Corporation workers reached the spot, collected the carcasses and sent them to a veterinary hospital for post-mortem examination.

The post-mortem report confirmed that the dogs were poisoned. The Corporation health officials lodged a complaint with the Selaiyur police.

A special team conducted an inquiry and examined CCTV footage. The police found that Francis Jebaraj (49), an IT employee and a resident of New Jerusalem Nagar in Madambakkam, was raising chickens, goats and pigeons at his house. Stray dogs in the locality attacked his poultry and pigeons repeatedly, resulting in the death of several birds. His goats had also suffered injuries in the attacks.

Angered by the repeated attacks, Jebaraj mixed poison into chicken meat and placed it on the streets during the night to kill the dogs.

A total of 17 dogs consumed the poisoned meat at different locations and died. The Selaiyur police arrested Francis Jebaraj and registered a case against him. He was later produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.