COIMBATORE: The Chennimalai police in Erode have initiated a probe into the mysterious death of a watchdog and the disappearance of two other dogs in the farmhouse of a couple.

Police said Baskar (47), a farmer, and his wife Kalaivani, the BJP’s farmer wing functionary in Tirupur, were residing in a farmhouse located along the Lower Bhavani Canal at Sokkanathapalayam in Chennimalai. They had four watchdogs on the farm for security purposes.

On Tuesday, as the dogs barked unusually loud for a long time around 9.45, the fear-stricken couple stayed indoors and didn’t check outside. On Wednesday, around 5.30 am, they called up their relatives who reached the spot. The couple stepped out after the arrival of their relatives.

Police said Baskar found a dog lying dead and two other dogs missing, while one dog alone was there on the farm. Suspecting it to be the handiwork of burglars, they informed the Chennimalai police.

It is to be noted that before the recent murder of an elderly couple – Ramasamy (75) and his wife Bakkiyam (70), for gain at their farmhouse in Sivagiri in Erode, their watchdog had died mysteriously one month ago, suggesting that the robbers had killed it to execute their robbery plan.

Erode Superintendent of Police A Sujatha and a police team from Chennimalai station visited the spot and held inquiries. A post-mortem examination was carried out on the dog to ascertain the cause of its death. As the CCTV cameras fixed in the farm were defunct, the police could not find any clues. Further investigations are on.