The boy was attacked when it stepped out to buy chocolates
A seven-year-old boy suffered serious injuries in an attack by stray dogs in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi last evening. The child, who had stepped out to buy chocolates, was saved by his neighbours who heard him screaming and scared the animals away.
CCTV footage from the area captured the traumatic incident in which seven-year-old Virat was attacked by five dogs as he was walking to a shop near his home. As he boy screamed, neighbours rushed out and found him struggling to keep the dogs off. They then used lathis to scare away the canines.
The visuals show the pack of dogs pounce on the boy as he tries to escape. They pull him to the ground and are seen biting him. The boy has suffered several injuries and was shaken by the horrifying incident.
Virat's mother Lakshmi Gupta has said she was busy with household chores when she heard the dogs bark together. "I feared they had attacked someone. When I rushed out, I found them biting and scratching my son. My neighbour saved him and brought him home. He is traumatised," she said.
Ms Gupta accused the civic authorities of inaction. "They come with dog catching squads but there is not action. Even other neighbourhoods of Jhansi are facing the terror of stray dogs, but the officials are indifferent," she said.
Suraj Gupta, Virat's father, said a meat shop is located near their home and the stray dogs gather there. "They are biting a child every other day. My son was saved by neighbours. Some of them threw water, others used lathis. But he has suffered a lot of injuries," he said.