Hyderabad: In a tragic incident, a 4-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Hyderabad on Sunday with CCTV capturing the chilling final moments of the child's life. The victim was identified as four-year-old Pradeep, son of Gangadhar, a resident of Erukula Basti, Bagh Amberpet. As per the officials, the incident took place at the automobile workshop at Chowrasta where he is working as a watchman.
Police said Gangadhar had taken Pradeep and his six-year-old daughter to the workshop on Sunday. Leaving his daughter in the cabin at the parking lot, Gangadhar took his son inside the service center and let him play around. While the boy was engrossed in playing, the security guard went to another area for work along with another watchman.
Also read: Stray dog carries body of infant in Hyderabad
After playing for a while, Pradeep walked towards the cabin to look for his sister when he was attacked by stray dogs. CCTV footage shows three dogs rushing toward the boy who tries to run away but is pushed to the ground by one of the canines. The dogs then pounce on him and start biting and dragging him around.
The victim stands up and tries to again run away but one of the dogs again pulls him to the ground while another starts dragging him to the corner while biting him along. Soon a pack of three small dogs also joins the large ones. After a while, the boy is seen lifeless as the dogs drag his body to a corner. His sister who heard his cry for help raised an alarm.
The boy's father rushed in only to find his son brutally mauled by the stray dogs. Gangadhar rushed his son to a private hospital in the vicinity where the doctors declared the boy dead on arrival. Gangadhar, who hails from the Indalwai Mandal in the Nizamabad district, had migrated to Hyderabad for work only four years ago.
Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K T Rama Rao said the incident was tragic and offered condolences to the boy’s family. The minister said the government was making "all efforts" to resolve the stray dog menace in the state.
He spoke of dog sterilisation and animal birth control centres being established in Telangana to curb the growing population of dogs. Meanwhile, Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi has ordered an inquiry into the incident. In January, a young delivery boy working in Swiggy died when he jumped from the 3rd floor of a building after being chased by a dog at the apartment in Banjara Hills here.
