Seven puppies were found killed in an apartment complex in a West Delhi locality on Monday, PTI reported. Police has registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Animal Cruelty Act.

Police said a woman called them up on Monday alleging that seven pups were murdered at Kargil Apartments in Dwarka’s Sector 18. “The staff reached the spot and called a veterinary van, after which they were taken to Dabri Veterinary Hospital,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse told The Hindu. “The canines were declared dead and the postmortem was conducted.”

An 18-year-old resident, who found the dead puppies, approached a member of the Dwarka Animal Lovers’ Society staying in the same complex. The DALS member claimed the puppies were “kept in a pattern” at the service lane next to the complex’s community centre. “Their throats were cut and many stab wounds were inflicted on their body,” DALS member Hema Meel told The Indian Express. “We called the police and the civic body.”

An unidentified constable said they were examining footage from closed-circuit television cameras installed by some of the residents.

Several residents had complained about a “dog menace” during the residential society’s last meeting, Meel said. Society residents used to feed 15 dogs, who had been sterilised, before the puppies were born. She said two female dogs had entered the society and given birth to 11 pups, seven of whom were found killed.

Society residents had suggested getting them neutered, while some had recommended registering a complaint with the local civic body, Meel said.