The animals have been taken to the Veterinary Department.

A spokesman for the Malaysia Independent Animal Rescue (MIAR) group quoted by Star Online said it was the first time Setapak police had handled a case involving dogs.

The MIAR spokesman said that a resident in the apartment building had made a video recording which showed a man beating his brown poodle on the balcony of his home on Thursday night, according to the report.

The 30-second recording shows the dog being flung into the air after each blow. It also showing the man throwing the poodle and choking it to the floor, the report said.

“We lodged a police report the same night but we had a problem getting them to help us at first, because this was the first time they handled a dog case. It’s not their fault because people don’t usually report this kind of cases to the police,” the spokesman was quoted as saying.

Setapak station chief ASP Wee Bee Seng and eight men searched the apartment block with veterinary officers and MIAR members and located the suspect’s home at about 7.30pm on Friday.

Wangsa Maju OCPD Supt Mohamad Roy Suhaimi Sarif confirmed that a man has been arrested and is being investigated for maiming animals.