A Lucknow couple has been named in a police case over cruelty to animal after a video surfaced
A police case has been filed against a couple after a video was shared widely on social media that showed a puppy being tortured in a moving car in Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow. The couple in a video statement denied it was them in the video, alleging some people made a fake video to frame them. They said they will go to the cybercrime police to find the source of the video.
In the video, a white and brown puppy is seen pinned on the floor of the front passenger seat. A woman repeatedly kicks the pet as it howls in protest. The woman's face is not seen in the video. She wears a pointed blue shoe that she uses to press on the puppy's neck till the animal howls.
"It is biting," she is heard saying in the video.
"Don't do that, it is biting you," a man who is driving the car says.
"That's why I'm doing it," the woman says.
The police complaint against the couple was filed by animal rights activists after the video surfaced on Facebook. The couple has been named in the First Information Report as they appear to be the ones in the video, the police said in a statement.
"We are investigating the case and questioning the couple. It appears the same woman against whom the complaint has been filed is in the video," police officer Charu Nigam told reporters.
The couple in their video statement - they are seen sitting together on a sofa with a puppy that is not the one seen in the video shared on Facebook - said they have been framed by some animal rights activists.
"We saw on Facebook many people commenting against my wife, alleging she hit a dog. It is so surprising and we are shocked. We're animal lovers. We have a dog at home too. Somebody really tried to spoil our image, our reputation. We have been living in this society in Lucknow for many years," said the husband of the woman who is facing charges of cruelty against animal. "We are going to take strict action. My wife is in a state of shock. We are going to the cybercrime police," he said.
The woman said her Facebook profile had been hacked several months ago. "In the video I saw the woman has a mole on her left leg. It also doesn't show her face. This is totally a mocked up video," she said.