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A Man Was Caught Planting Poop On Tram Seat To Frame Istanbul's Popular Street Dog 'Boji'

Amidst his rising popularity, some people are accusing Boji of pooping on trams and ferries and dirtying the seats.

Cover image via @Mrt_Ongun (Twitter) & @boji_ist (Twitter)

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This is Boji

He is a street dog in Istanbul and has become a regular sight on public transport there.

According to a CNN article in October this year, Boji's adventures came to light around August with municipal officials, who were amazed at the dog's resourcefulness, tracking his movements around the city.

"He knows where to go. He knows where to get out," Metro Istanbul's customer relations head Avlin Erol was quoted as saying in the CNN report, which added that Boji is estimated to travel up to 30km a day.

Boji sits on a tram in the Kadıköy district in Istanbul, Turkey, on 5 October.

Image via Murad Sezer/Reuters

In fact, he is so popular among locals there that he even has his own Twitter and Instagram accounts with tens of thousands of followers

Omer Taskara, an operations manager at Metro Istanbul, describes Boji as a "calm and peaceful dog".

"Istanbulites have embraced Boji," Omer told Middle East Eye.

And it's true. Locals frequently post their pictures and selfies with the mixed-breed dog, who easily attracts attention and love through his golden-brown fur, dark eyes, and floppy ears.

However, there are some who do not like Boji using public transport

And these people are using deceit and lies to frame and slander the beloved street dog.

Amidst his rising popularity, they have accused Boji of pooping on trams and ferries and dirtying the seats.

On Twitter, a Pro-Erdogan account is running a smear campaign against Boji.

Boji refuted the allegation through his own Twitter account, stating that he wasn't even in Istanbul that day.

One such person was caught on video planting the poop

The closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage is pretty damning as it shows the person taking out the dried poop from his pockets and placing it on the tram seat while looking to see if anyone has noticed.

It's a different kind of a low when people try to frame a dog

For those wondering, Boji seems to be doing well.

His Twitter account posted that he was at the shelter yesterday amidst the frame job.

Meanwhile, over in India, a man was physically torturing a stray dog as others watched when a cow charged at him to 'rescue' the dog:

In Malaysia, police recently held an appreciation ceremony for a dog:

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