MUMBAI: The minor boy who was bitten by a dog in Mumbai on July 17 said that the accused, Sohail Khan, deliberately unleashed the dog at him while he was sitting with his friends. According to the child, as the dog charged toward them, his friends managed to run away, but he couldn’t escape and was eventually attacked. He added that he was extremely scared during this entire incident.“We were sitting and chatting. One of my friends asked him (the accused dog owner) where he was going with the pitbull. He started coming towards us with the dog. Everyone escaped but I couldn’t. He was releasing the dog towards me and was laughing. The dog bit me, and then I ran. It also held my clothes, I was very scared”, the minor boy, who was attacked by accused Sohail Khan’s pitbull dog in an auto-rikshaw on July 17, said.The incident occurred around 10:00pm in Mumbai, where Sohail Khan unleashed his Pitbull on a minor boy who was playing in a parked auto-rickshaw in a residential area. According to the Mumbai Police, the attack was unprovoked and deliberate.“On 17th July at around 10:00PM, the complainant’s minor son was playing in a parked rickshaw in the residential area when the accused, Mohammad Sohail Khan — an acquaintance from the same locality — deliberately released his brown-coloured pet dog,” Mumbai Police said.The dog attacked the minor boy, biting his chin and hands, and leaving him with serious injuries. A video of the incident went viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage and condemnation. Based on a detailed statement by the boy’s father, who is the complainant, the police registered an offence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Mankhurd Police Station.“Due to a lack of control and supervision, the dog bit the child on the chin, causing injury. Based on the detailed statement of the complainant, an offence has been registered under sections 291, 125, 125(a) of IPC (BNS) at Mankhurd Police Station. A notice has been served to the accused under Section 35(3) of BNS”, said Mumbai Police.According to a release from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, based on data from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IHIP) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, States and Union Territories reported 21,95,122 cases of dog bites in India between January and December 2024.(With inputs from ANI)
