7-year-old girl mauled to death by stray dogs on Lucknow outskirts

Police said the girl’s parents and other family members rushed to the spot while villagers, some carrying sticks, chased the animals away.

Police were alerted immediately, following which a team reached the scene, took custody of the body and sent it for post-mortem examination.

Officers said a brief examination showed the body bore deep bite marks, particularly on the face and hands. No resident reported hearing any cries for help at the time of the incident, they said.

Station House Officer of Rahimabad police station, Arun Kumar, said, “Only after the medical examination and autopsy report will it be clear whether the attack was carried out by stray dogs or any other animal.”

Anshika was the youngest of three children of farmer Dileep Kashyap. She was studying in Class I. The village is located around 55 km from the Lucknow headquarters.

Her father said she would usually go to relieve herself with her elder sister. “On Sunday, she failed to return home after nearly an hour. “We grew worried and started looking for her — and later found her body in the thickets,” he said.

“There are several stray dogs in the village but no one has taken the issue seriously. The administration should act so others do not suffer,” Dileep said.

In a similar incident in January, a three-year-old girl was mauled to death allegedly by a pack of stray dogs in a village in UP’s Moradabad.