9-year-old Salabatpura boy suffers 15 dog bites

Surat: A nine-year-old boy suffered at least 15 dog bites after being attacked by three stray dogs in the Salabatpura area on Sunday evening. The attack came when the child had gone with his family to buy clothes ahead of Eid.

The boy, the son of Mohammad Sabir Siddiqui, 36, is in Class 3. The family lives in Nawabni Chawl and is of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. They make a living from tailoring work and were about to leave for their native place by train on Monday, to celebrate Eid with relatives.

On Sunday, the family went to a clothing shop in Tirupati Market near Begumwadi. At this time, the boy stepped outside the shop. One stray dog caught hold of the boy and dragged him to the ground. In moments, two other dogs rushed in and attacked him.

The attack was captured on CCTV camera, which shows the boy being dragged by one of dogs. The incident took place in the basement of the market building.

Sources said the attack lasted around 40 seconds before passersby and the boy’s father noticed and rushed out of the shop to rescue him. The dogs were driven away, but by then the child had suffered multiple bite injuries.

The boy suffered more than 15 bite wounds on his head, hands and other parts of the body, leaving him bleeding. He was rushed to hospital, where doctors began treatment and administered an anti-rabies vaccination.

The incident triggered concern among local residents, especially as it comes soon after the Supreme Court’s recent direction calling for strict action in relation to dangerous dogs. The attack in a busy market area has again raised questions over the menace of stray dogs and public safety in the city.

A Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) team visited the spot to remove the dogs, but they could not be found. . “During the recent sterilization and vaccination drive, the highest number of dogs covered were in the Central Zone and Limbayat Zone areas,” an SMC officer said.