2 brothers mauled to death by stray dogs in Delhi

Two minor brothers were found dead in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj area in suspected cases of a stray dog ​​attack, police said on Sunday. The deceased, identified as Anand (7) and Aditya (5), lived with their parents in a slum in Sindhi Basti.

On March 10, Anand was reported missing around 3 pm after which SHO Vasant Kunj (South) along with a police team and the boy's family started searching for him, police said. After a two-hour search in the jungle adjacent to the slum cluster, the minor's body was found against a wall at a remote location, a senior police officer said.

The child's body bore multiple injuries that appeared to be caused by an animal bite, a police officer said. “On inquiry from neighbors and local residents, it was found that there are many stray dogs in the jungle area, which often attack goats and pigs in the area,” he said.

Subsequently, a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Vasant Kunj South police station and the body was sent to Safdarjung Hospital for post-mortem, police said.

Two days later, on March 12, Anand's younger brother Aditya went to the same jungle area along with his cousin Chandan, 24, to attend to the call of nature, police said. Chandan left the minor for some time and he returned to find Aditya injured, surrounded by stray dogs, they said. “SI Mahender of Vasant Kunj South police station, who was also present in the same area for investigation into the March 10 incident, heard the noise and rushed to the spot,” said a senior police officer. The officer took the child to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead by doctors, the officer said.

Post-mortem of both the children has been conducted and further action will be taken based on the post-mortem report, police said, adding that further investigation is underway. Sucharita, a relative of both the boys, recalled the incident and said that Aditya was attacked when the family was busy with Anand's last rites.

Following the incident, police said a letter has been sent to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) seeking immediate action in the matter. “We have sent a letter to MCD. This is a matter of grave concern and immediate measures should be taken to curb the menace of stray dogs in the area to prevent any further loss of life,” said a senior police officer. MCD officials also conducted inspection. They have caught about 15-20 stray dogs in the area, which will be sterilised, the officer said.