A man has been charged with a series of offences after the remains of 37 dogs were found at an address in Essex.
Essex police said officers, colleagues from the RSPCA and Basildon council visited a property in the Crays Hill area of Billericay on Tuesday and the remains were discovered.
The force said two men were arrested on suspicion of fraud relating to the transfer of ownership of dogs and animal cruelty offences.
Ovaeed Rahman, 25, of Hope Road in Crays Hill, had been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, police said. He is also charged with an offence contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and three counts of fraud by false representation.
Rahman appeared before Southend magistrates court on Thursday and was remanded in custody until a plea hearing at Basildon crown court on 9 June.
The second man has been conditionally bailed until July.
Insp Steve Parry, of the Basildon neighbourhood policing team, said: “This has been an extremely intensive investigation – to have secured such significant charges within 36 hours of making an arrest is a real testament to the unwavering commitment of the officers here in Basildon.
“The public sentiment surrounding this investigation is not lost on us and I would continue to urge the public to be responsible when discussing this, both online and in person. We are also acutely aware there will be a number of people, potentially across the UK, who may have questions on the current situation or information which they want us to know about.
“We have now set up a dedicated public portal through which we would ask for people to make contact.”
He said the investigation was likely to be complex and potentially far-reaching.
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