A 66-year-old woman was attacked by two Rottweilers while walking to a temple early Sunday morning in Dehradun’s Rajpur area. The dogs, owned by a neighbour, jumped over a boundary wall and mauled Kaushalya Devi, causing serious injuries, The Times of India reported.
Devi suffered deep wounds on her head, arms, legs, and ear, along with fractures in two bones and is currently in critical condition. Doctors had to put nearly 200 stitches on her body. She was first taken to Shri Mahant Indresh Hospital and later shifted to another hospital for surgeries on her hand and ear, which was almost torn off during the attack.
According to police, the Rottweilers belong to Nafees Ahmed, who had left the dogs at his friend Mohammed Zaid’s house. At the time of the incident, Zaid was not at home, and only a domestic help was present, who later managed to pull the dogs back inside after the attack, TOI reported.
Devi’s son, Umang Nirwal, filed a complaint at the Rajpur police station. “My mother was out for a morning walk when the two Rottweilers of the neighbour suddenly attacked her. They mauled her – biting her face and legs, chewing off part of her ear and ripping flesh from her arm, crushing the bone underneath,” News18 quoted Nirwal as saying.
Police have detained Ahmed for questioning, while Zaid has been booked under Section 291 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with negligent handling of animals.
"We found that Ahmed didn't have the required license from the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) to keep the dogs as pets. We will record Devi's statement once her health permits, and more criminal sections could be added in the case, if needed,” TOI quoted Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh as saying.
Singh also mentioned that the Centre had banned the import and breeding of certain dangerous dog breeds, including Rottweilers, Pitbulls, Cane Corso, and others. “If anyone is troubled by such pets in their neighbourhood, they should contact the police helpline 112 or report to the nearest police station or DMC office,” he added.
According to the local residents, this was not the first attack by the same dogs. They had allegedly attacked at least four others in the past. The locals along with corporator Sanjay Nautiyal, met senior police officers and Dehradun mayor Saurabh Thapliyal to demand strong action against Ahmed and Zaid.
"In earlier instances, Ahmed either threatened the victims or arranged settlements to avoid police complaints. This time, too, he dismissed their concerns, daring them to take action,” Nautiyal was quoted by TOI as saying.
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