The Assam Police on Saturday rescued as many as 75 drugged stray dogs in Samaguri area here.
The dogs were to be sold for meat in Nagaland.
The police arrested four men who were shipping them in a pick-up van.
Due to starvation and asphyxiation, 22 of them died after the rescue.
The police said the dogs, with their mouths taped or stitched, were heaped on top of each other.
"We acted on a tip-off to intercept the vehicle around 10 p.m. on Thursday and arrested the four. The way they were ferrying the dogs was inhuman," Rajib Barman, officer in-charge of Samaguri police station told ANI.
"The four said they were expecting good money for the dogs from clients in Dimapur," he added.
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The quartet - Raju Momin, Prakash Momin, Sanil Sangma and Paweng Sangma - revealed they had lured the stray dogs with spiked biscuits from the Rupohi area of Nagaon district.
They taped or stitched their mouths to stop them from barking.