Hyderabad: An animal welfare organisation in Hyderabad has announced a reward of Rs50,000 (Dh2,450) for information leading to the arrest of a man who burnt a kitten alive.

Humane Society International announced the reward after a video of the incident went viral on social media. In the disturbing video, a person is seen setting the kitten on fire with a lighter. He made the video of the gruesome incident and posted it on social media. The incident apparently occurred over the weekend.

Shambhavi Tiwari of the NGO HSI said that the criminal who committed the heinous act had poured some inflammable liquid on the animal before setting it on fire. “There is no voice in the video other than the painful screams of the kitten”, she said.

The incident occurred at some desolate place in the darkness of night and there was nobody around to rescue the little animal. “The kitten was in a weak condition and died within seconds of the fire engulfing it,” she said, adding that it was a most troubling and shocking scene. “How can a human commit such a horrendous act,” she asked, urging people to come forward and share the information about the culprit.

“If you have any information about this man, please share. It will help us and the police in nabbing him,” she added.

HSI India managing director Alokparna Sengupta warned that if this person was allowed to get away he would continue to commit such cruelty against animals and possibly against other human beings too.

The organisation has already lodged a complaint with the cyber crime cell of the city police as it involves investigating the video on social media to trace the culprit.