In an appalling incident reported from Mumbai's Thane, a man has been arrested after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a female dog.

The incident came to light at 4.30 pm on Tuesday when the locals who fed the female dog found the accused sexually abusing the animal on a foot over bridge. The people who witnessed the incident brought this to the knowledge of animals rights activist Aditi Nair, who approached the police at the Shrinagar police station in Thane's Wagle Estate area. Even though the police were initially reluctant to register a case in the matter, the activist managed to do so after approaching a senior official with her request. "I along with the team informed the local police, who were initially 'reluctant' to register a complaint in this regard, but we immediately escalated the case to Thane police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, who strictly directed the concerned police to act and make an airtight case," an official reportedly stated.

An FIR was registered against the accused under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 11 (a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, following which he was arrested and remanded in judicial custody.