An unidentified homeless woman is suspected to have been killed and partly eaten by a pack of stray dogs near Talaghattapura on the city’s outskirts on Friday. The body, which was mutilated, was discovered by residents in the wee hours of Saturday.
Residents told the police that they saw the woman being hounded by a pack of dogs around 9.30 p.m. on Friday. They chased the dogs away. A few hours later, her body was discovered.
“The woman, estimated to be around 60 years, was very frail and weak. She was a homeless person. She was probably sleeping near an under-construction building. She is yet to be identified,” said a senior police official. “The dogs seem to have bitten her at multiple places, killed her and eaten some parts of the body.”
There are garbage mounds in vacant sites nearby, which attract dogs. Police suspect that they may have been starving due to the lockdown, pushing them to aggressive behaviour.
Dr. Parviz Ahmed Piran, CEO, Vet Society for Animal Welfare and Rural Development, and a former Joint Director, Animal Husbandry at the BBMP, said dogs are usually pushed to such aggressive behaviour only when facing starvation.
“Unlike last year, the current lockdown is not complete. Hotels and bakeries are open in the morning. Stray dogs may have suffered partial starving. In my experience, many cases are blamed on stray dog attacks when there may be other reasons, including foul play. The body needs to be forensically examined. The police should conduct an investigation to establish the sequence of events,” he said.
