In a shocking and disturbing incident from Mumbai's Malad West, a resident allegedly threw a pet cat from the ninth floor of a building, leading to the animal's agonizing death. The heartbreaking incident, captured on the society's CCTV cameras, prompted the cat's owner to file a complaint against their neighbor at the Malwani Police Station. Police have registered a case under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
The complainant, Gurnaz Samshi (45), a textile businesswoman, resides with her family on the 21st floor of the Grow More Vanex building in Malad West. She had adopted a black and white cat named Kaalu in April 2024. On June 5, Kaalu had wandered out of the house. Later, children playing below the building noticed the cat had fallen. The Samshi family was deeply shocked by the incident.
CCTV footage from the society revealed that Qasim Sayyed, a resident of Flat No. 901, picked up Kaalu, who was standing on a shoe rack outside his home, and threw her down from the window. Samshi took the CCTV footage on her mobile phone and approached the police station to file a complaint. Speaking to Mid-day, Shamshi said, “We had been taking care of Kalu since her birth. On the evening of June 5, she stepped out like always, but moments later, we found her injured. Despite efforts to save her, she died due to multiple injuries.”
Shamshi added that they initially struggled to access CCTV footage due to uncooperative society staff. “On Tuesday, we finally got the footage and were shocked to learn that our cat was thrown from the 9th floor, not hit by a vehicle as we assumed,” he said. Disturbed and seeking justice, Shamshi filed a police complaint. Based on the CCTV footage, the Malvani Police have registered an FIR against Sayyed under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 11(1)(I) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.A senior police official confirmed, “We have registered the case and initiated a detailed investigation,” as quoted by Mid-day. Animal rights groups and residents have expressed outrage over the incident, demanding strict action against the accused.