A police source told The Star Online that they could not take action against the suspect due to lack of evidence.

“When we went to the scene of the incident, there were no blood stains and no carcass.

“With no strong evidence, we cannot initiate prosecution,” he said, adding that even the person who lodged the report against the guard did not witness the suspect carrying out the act.

The security company which hired the guard also told the portal that the man’s service had been terminated and that he would be sent home to Nepal. He had only been in their employ for three months.

The guard had earlier claimed he had beaten the dog as it had tried to bite him, a story the mall management did not believe.

The killing of the dog came to light when a resident, Lye Jin Kit, staying near the mall, posted photos of the dog and the guard on Facebook.

He also related how he had heard the dog’s prolonged howling, before he ran to the scene and found the guard standing over the bloodied dog with a wooden bat in hand.