GEORGE TOWN: Three men have been arrested for allegedly bludgeoning a dog to death after it was run over by a motorcycle.
Penang police chief Datuk Khaw Kok Chin said the men are aged between 40 and 53 and were arrested around the Batu Maung area between 11.45pm on Sunday (July 9) and 1am on Monday (July 10).
"The suspects – a cargo agent, fisherman and bus driver – are on remand for three days until Wednesday (July 12) for further investigation. All three suspects do not have criminal records and tested negative for drugs," he said in a statement on Monday (July 10).
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Comm Khaw said the case is being investigated under Section 29(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 for cruelty to animals.
"If found guilty (an offender) can be fined up to RM100,000 or a maximum of three years' jail, or both.
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"If convicted of the first offence, they can then be investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 which is punishable with one year's imprisonment or a fine of RM50,000, or both, if found guilty" he said. (Section 233 covers offensive digital content.)
Comm Khaw said police will take strict action against those who abuse or beat animals without a reasonable cause.
"We want to warn people not to share any more videos in relation to this incident as well," he said.
It was reported that a black mongrel was bludgeoned to death after getting run over by a motorcycle.
Two video clips on Twitter showed the incident, and the person who posted it claimed it happened on a village road in Penang on Saturday (July 8) night.
The video shows two men, one wielding a wooden club and the other a long staff, hitting and stabbing the mongrel.
A weak sound like a painful growling can be heard as the first two blows land but is not heard as subsequent strikes are made.
At the end of one clip, a man is heard saying loudly: "Jangan rakam oi! (Don't record!).”
The person who first posted the video claimed that the dog dashed across the dark road and was hit by a motorcycle.
The dog, which appeared to be injured, crawled away and hid in a drain but the suspects pulled it out and beat it, the original poster alleged.
