Stray dogs maul four-year-old boy to death in Hyderabad's Amberpet area

In a tragic incident that has shocked the city, a four-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs on February 19 in Hyderabad's Bagh Amberpet area. The heart-wrenching incident came to light on February 21 when CCTV footage of the attack emerged.

The victim, identified as Pradeep, was accompanying his father Gangadhar, who worked as a watchman in a car servicing centre in the area. Gangadhar had brought his family to the centre on on February 19 , which was a holiday, to show them his workplace. He left his wife and six-year-old daughter in a cabin in the parking area and took his son inside the service centre.

When Gangadhar left with another watchman for some work, Pradeep walked towards the parking area to play with his sister. Suddenly, a pack of stray dogs attacked him, knocking him down and biting him all over. The girl rushed to inform her father, who chased away the dogs and took the badly injured boy to a nearby hospital. However, Pradeep had succumbed to his injuries by then.

According to the police, Gangadhar had migrated to Hyderabad from Nizamabad four years ago and was living in a colony in the same area. This is the second such incident in the city in less than a year, with a two-year-old boy being mauled to death by stray dogs in Golconda's Bada Bazar area in April 2022.

The disturbing CCTV visuals of the earlier incident had triggered public outrage, and experts had called for urgent measures to control the stray dog population and ensure their humane treatment. However, the latest incident has once again highlighted the need for greater vigilance and action to prevent such tragic incidents.

The family of the victim is yet to come to terms with the loss, and the incident has left the entire city in shock and grief.