Missing dogs across Assam point to an alleged illegal network now under police scrutiny
The four dogs were gone by morning.
Lalu, Nachuni, Candy and Biscuit, four community dogs that had lived for years around the Bhairabtala Playground area in Kahilipara Colony, were fed daily by residents and were familiar to every household. They disappeared overnight on June 3 without warning or a trace.
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"We raised them with love and care," resident Soubhik Das told GPlus. "Even on the night before they went missing, I had fed them. The next morning, when I woke up, they were gone. Since then, there has been no sign of them."
A woman who had cared for the dogs for several years said their disappearance had left her devastated. "Since that day, I have not been able to eat properly and I barely step out of my house. They were like family to me. After seeing CCTV footage showing a white car in the locality around that time, I began to suspect that the vehicle may be connected to what happened," she said.
CCTV footage later captured a white crossover SUV entering Kahilipara Colony at around 4 AM on June 4, close to the time the dogs are believed to have disappeared. The vehicle was also seen near a CCTV blind spot, raising further suspicion.
Residents filed a complaint at Fatasil Ambari Police Station and also approached PETA India. A police official from the station told GPlus: "An investigation is underway based on the complaint received. The investigation is progressing positively." The registration of a vehicle seen in the footage was traced to Karbi Anglong district. According to police sources, a suspect with a history of involvement in similar cases was identified. GPlus sought an update from police before publication but received no response.
Similar Complaints Across Assam
The Kahilipara case is not a one-off. Police complaints and reports from animal rescuers point to a recurring pattern of community and pet dogs disappearing from different parts of Assam, which animal welfare advocates say is linked to an organised illegal dog meat trade.
Animal rescuer and welfare consultant Arpita Baruah, who runs Anaajoree, has documented several such cases since late 2024.
In December 2024, two dogs were stolen from Rehabari in Guwahati. The accused were later apprehended, and the investigation revealed a dog trade operating through Pilingkata into Meghalaya. A complaint was filed at Paltan Bazaar Police Station.
By October 2025, the pattern had spread northeast. Three individuals were caught illegally transporting seven dogs to Dimapur in Nagaland, two of which died in transit. A complaint was filed at Sadar Thana in Tezpur, seeking action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
The same month, a student from Tezpur University raised the alarm over the disappearance of dogs near the campus, a trend reportedly ongoing for months.
In November 2025, animal activists in North Lakhimpur filed a police complaint over a sudden decline in the stray dog population. After the disappearances continued, they submitted a follow-up letter to the Superintendent of Police in December, alleging possible organised illegal transportation.
December 2025 saw the net widen further. In Dibrugarh, a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner highlighted a surge in dog-napping across Overbridge, Panch Ali, Milan Nagar, Graham Bazaar, and Running Gate. It alleged that pet and community dogs were being trafficked to Nagaland for meat consumption. Four dogs were later rescued by Dibrugarh Police.
In Hatigaon, Guwahati, a dog was stolen near East India Lodge with CCTV footage available, the incident suspected to be linked to illegal dog-meat trade activity. In Jorhat, a complaint was filed at Lichubari Outpost after a caller informed residents that street dogs were being held captive for transport to Nagaland.
January 2026 brought more cases to the surface. On January 4, unidentified individuals were caught attempting to forcibly capture stray dogs in Adabari, Guwahati. The vehicle owner's details were identified, and a complaint was filed seeking strict action and increased patrolling. On January 6, two community dogs went missing from East Maligaon on New Year's Eve, prompting a complaint at Jalukbari Police Station requesting a missing report, CCTV review and increased patrolling. On January 10, two individuals were intercepted attempting to abduct stray dogs in Pragjyotish Nagar, Maligaon. A complaint sought vehicle seizure, owner interrogation and an investigation into an organised dog-napping network in Guwahati.
And then, on January 13, Arpita Baruah herself filed a complaint at Basistha Police Station over two missing community dogs in Lalmati, stating that earlier complaints lodged at Goshala Police Outpost and Jalukbari Police Station had seen no action.
She filed another complaint on June 17 regarding a suspected orange car seen luring dogs in Vidya Mandir Path, Lalmati, urging police to use available CCTV footage and the ITMS camera at the entrance of the road to identify the vehicle and investigate the suspected illegal transportation.
Five arrested in inter-state dog theft case
Twelve days after the June 17 complaint, the first major enforcement action arrived. On June 29, Basistha Police Station said it had busted an inter-state dog-theft ring from Guwahati, with officer-in-charge Kapil Pathak saying five people were arrested: Rangsina Rangkhang, Bichu Rangpi, Muni Rangpi, Waisong Terang, and Marcy Takbipi, all from Karbi Anglong. Police say they stole dogs from Guwahati neighbourhoods and trafficked them to other states. Two vehicles allegedly used in the thefts and five mobile phones were seized.
The Karbi Anglong connection is significant. It is the same district to which the vehicle in the Kahilipara disappearances was traced in June and has repeatedly featured in earlier complaints as a transit point for stolen dogs bound for Nagaland and Meghalaya. While police have not confirmed whether the arrests are linked to the Kahilipara or Lalmati cases, they mark the clearest indication yet that the pattern documented by residents and activists for over a year points to an organised, traceable network.
These are not isolated incidents. Twelve police complaints filed across Kamrup Metro, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat over the past eighteen months point to a network. Dogs are allegedly stolen from neighbourhoods at night and transported from Guwahati toward Karbi Anglong, Nagaland, and Meghalaya. The trade has been sustained by weak enforcement, inadequate patrolling, and the failure to treat such cases as serious crimes. The June 29 arrests are the first in this series to result in named suspects, seized vehicles, and a major police crackdown.
Arpita Baruah, who has been at the centre of many of these complaints and rescues, says the issue extends far beyond isolated thefts. "I have seen the consequences beyond statistics and headlines," she says.
"I have witnessed dogs rescued from unimaginable suffering, families searching endlessly for companions who never returned home, and volunteers risking their own safety simply to uphold the law. These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a deeply rooted illegal network that continues to exploit weak enforcement and public indifference."
She argues the issue is no longer just about animal welfare. "It concerns law enforcement, public health, organised crime, and the values we wish to uphold as a society. When illegal transportation, theft, and slaughter continue unchecked, it weakens public confidence in the rule of law."
Baruah also stresses that her campaign is not aimed at any community or culture. "This is not an attack on any community, culture, or individual. It is a call for accountability. No tradition, economic interest, or personal preference can justify activities that violate the law."
What the Law Says and What Is Not Being Done
The transport and slaughter of dogs for meat is illegal under multiple provisions of Indian law, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Despite repeated interventions by the Supreme Court on animal cruelty, many complaints suggest enforcement has remained reactive and inconsistent. The Basistha bust shows sustained follow-through is possible; the question is whether it becomes the norm rather than the exception.
Several complainants said their reports were acknowledged but saw little follow-up. Letters were received, complaints recorded, and in many cases, no further action followed.
A senior police official, speaking to GPlus, acknowledged the growing scale of the problem while highlighting the challenges investigators face. "Dog kidnapping cases have become more frequent than before, maybe cases that were not reported earlier are reported now. We take firm action whenever possible. But tracking dogs is not like tracking humans. Traffickers often switch multiple vehicles, making them difficult to trace. If CCTV footage is available, it becomes much easier for us."
The remark echoes what activists have argued for months: CCTV footage has been submitted in several complaints, and the key issue is whether that evidence is acted upon. The June 29 arrests suggest that, at least in one case, it was.
"Will authorities continue to say there are 'more important human cases' and therefore no time to investigate crimes against animals?" Baruah asks. "Is the value of a life determined by the species to which it belongs, or by our willingness to uphold the law equally and without prejudice?"
Residents of Kahilipara ask a simpler question. They filed their complaint, submitted CCTV evidence, and waited. Lalu, Nachuni, Candy, and Biscuit have still not returned home.
A Defining Moment
For Baruah and other activists, Assam is at a crossroads. The documentation exists, the pattern is clear, the laws are in place, and now, for the first time in this record, there has been a major arrest.
The question is no longer whether an illegal dog meat trade exists. Activists say the evidence has been documented through rescues, investigations, repeated complaints, and now the Basistha Police bust. What remains to be seen is whether the Government of Assam and law enforcement will build on this breakthrough and treat the trade as an organised criminal enterprise rather than an isolated case.
They argue that every day without sustained enforcement emboldens illegal networks, weakens confidence in the rule of law, and allows cruelty to continue.
The residents who cared for Lalu, Nachuni, Candy, Biscuit, and many other community dogs are still waiting for them to return. For now, their neighbourhood streets remain quieter than they once were, a reminder that one arrest, however significant, has yet to bring closure.