Dogs maul 45-year-old man to death in Delhi’s Dwarka

He had suffered bites at more than a dozen spots on his body and succumbed to the injuries during treatment

NEW DELHI

A pack of dogs mauled the man to death. (Representative photo/AP File)

A 45-year-old daily wage worker was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Dwarka’s Sector 19 late on Tuesday, police said on Friday, adding that he had suffered bites at more than a dozen spots on his body and succumbed to the injuries during treatment.

Police identified the victim as Raju, who was a resident of Amberhai village. They said the incident took place near A-Block, behind St Mary’s School. Raju was found lying in a pool of blood on the road by passersby, who alerted the police. By the time officers reached the spot, the man was critically injured and had sustained severe dog bite wounds, deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Ankita Singh said.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi did not respond to queries seeking to know whether any action was taken to assess or capture “aggressive dogs” in the area.

An officer aware of the matter said that Raju lived with his family and was originally from Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh. Police investigation revealed that Raju had been living separately from his family for the past one-and-a-half years due to frequent domestic disputes, reportedly because of his alcohol addiction.

“After leaving home, he would often sleep on pavements or in parks in the area,” the officer said.

On Tuesday night, Raju reportedly consumed alcohol and lay down on a footpath behind the school. CCTV footage recovered from the area shows a group of stray dogs attacking him. In an attempt to escape, Raju can be seen getting up and running, but the dogs chase him. He then enters a nearby park, where he slips and falls, after which the dogs surround and maul him, the officer said.

“The dogs tore his clothes and bit him at more than a dozen places,” the officer said, adding that he was unable to defend himself or flee as he was heavily drunk.

Police rushed him to a nearby hospital in critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries. A post-mortem examination was conducted on Wednesday and the body was handed over to his family.

Raju is survived by his wife, two married daughters and an eight-year-old son. After he left home, his wife had been working as a domestic helper in a society in Sector 11. The family took his body to their native village in Sitapur for the last rites.

Police said that inquest proceedings have been initiated and CCTV footage is being examined.