Parents booked for keeping 11-year-old boy ‘confined’ with over 20 dogs in Pune

The parents of an 11-year-old boy have been booked for keeping him confined in an apartment (Representative Image)

An FIR has been lodged against the parents of an 11-year-old boy in Pune for allegedly keeping him confined in an apartment with over 20 stray dogs.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the incident came to light when a neighbour noticed the boy’s condition and informed Dnyan Devi Childline, an NGO providing emergency services for children.

Anuradha Sahasrabuddhe of Dnyan Devi Childline said, “We were told by the informer that the boy was kept confined in an apartment in Kondhwa. Local residents often saw the boy at the window of the apartment and he seemed to be mentally disturbed.

“Our social activists went to the spot. The apartment was found locked from outside. But the boy and the dogs were inside the apartment.”

Sahasrabuddhe further alleged that the boy was kept in extremely unhygienic conditions. “We also found four dog carcasses there. Even animal excreta were not removed from the apartment. The teenage boy was kept in very dirty conditions,” she said.

The Dnyan Devi Childline team sought help from the Kondhwa police station, but Sahasrabuddhe alleges that cops were reluctant to press charges against the parents. The case was taken up only after the Child Welfare Committee was informed about the incident.

“Initially, police were not ready to lodge a complaint. We informed the Child Welfare Committee about the incident. CWC officials intervened and spoke to the police. After a lot of effort, the FIR in this case was lodged on Tuesday evening,” Sahasrabuddhe said.

Police have said they might arrest the parents of the boy for keeping him confined for over two years. “We may arrest the parents of the boy. The boy was confined with dogs for about two years,” said Senior Police Inspector Sardar Patil of Kondhwa police station.