Stray dogs kill 3-year-old UP girl, 200 bite marks found

A three-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs in Bandia village of CB Ganj area of Bareilly on Tuesday. According to doctors, there were at least 200 dog bites on her body.

Pari, the daughter of Avdhesh Gangwar, a labourer, was the youngest of four sisters and a brother. On Tuesday evening, she was playing in the yard of their house while her elder sister Sunita was preparing dinner. Pari soon went to play in the playground when about seven or eight hungry dogs pounced on her.

According to locals, a young man heard her calling for help and rushed to save her. He, too, was bitten by dogs when he snatched Pari from their clutches. She was taken to the hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. Pari's uncle Jitendra Kumar said, “She was walking far from the house and no one in the family heard her cry for help. The dogs even dragged her almost 50 meters and bit her all over, causing deep injuries, especially on her neck.

CB Ganj SHO Ashok Kumar said, “We have sent a team to the village to verify the incident. The family refused to submit the body for autopsy and buried it according to Hindu rituals. The municipal authority has been informed about the incident and has been directed to take necessary steps to deal with the stray dog menace.

Local Jogendra Kumar said, “Several illegal slaughterhouses were operating in the area and stray dogs were feeding on slaughterhouse waste. But now such units have been closed, and these stray dogs have become violent because they are hungry. The locals are not able to feed these animals every day. Many times people have written to the civic body regarding the menace of stray dogs, but their campaign usually ends after catching a few dogs. In the recent past, 15 cases of dog bites were recorded in the village.

This is the third such incident reported from Bandia village in CB Ganj. On 27 April 2021, 10-year-old Morpal was mauled to death by stray dogs in the village, and in July 2020, 7-year-old Rohini was mauled to death. A seven-year-old boy was also killed by strays in Rampur on March 15 last year, while an eight-year-old girl was beaten to death in Pilibhit in December 2021.