Hyderabad: A foul smelling gunny bag abandoned on the Necklace Road railway tracks created panic among locals on Wednesday. Police later found that the bag contained the decomposed body of a female Rottweiler dog.

The Punjagutta police received a call from residents who said that there was a bag close to the railway wall and it was smelling as if something was rotting inside. Cops reached the spot and found the dog’s body inside the bag, with its paws tied.

After investigation, it was concluded that it was a pet dog that had died a natural death and the owner, not knowing where to bury the body, had abandoned it on the tracks.

Punjagutta inspector S. Mohan Kumar said, “Following a complaint call, Punjagutta police team rushed to the spot with a bomb squad. The bag was thrown very close to the track wall. We initially suspected it to contain a human body. But after the bag was torn open, a dead female pet dog was found, it looked like an aged Rottweiler. It is concluded that the owners, who had no other option, threw the animal on the tracks.”

An officer from the railway police added, “The bag was identified around 10.30 am Wednesday, even the clues team were called in. Recently a bag containing the body of a handicapped boy was found at Lingampally junction; we suspected the same here. However, it was a pet dog with no injuries; the body was handed over to the municipal staff.”

The case highlights the issue of lack of cremation or burial grounds for pets in the Twin Cities, unlike the one in Chennai. Ms B. Padmaja of Caring for Animals said, “Recently a pet owner had approached me for help as there was no space to bury her dog. I didn’t have an answer too. There is no space allocated for pet burials; owners who have land tend to bury it in their backyard and some do by the lakeside. Owners are willing to pay a fee too, however, there is no space. It is traumatic for pet owners who have to dispose their family member’s body in such a manner. The government has to think about allocating a space.”