Picture used for representational purpose only

MADURAI: A pack of more than six dogs mauled an eight-year-old boy to death at Rengasamuthiram village near Sankarankovil town in Tirunelveli district late on Thursday. The mortal remains of the boy were buried in the village on Friday. Ayyapuram police have registered a case and are investigating the incident.

The victim was identified as Santhosh, the youngest of three children of K Sethupathi, who studied at RC primary school there. Sub inspector A J Shahid Isquake told TOI that the school is less than 200 metres from the boy’s house which is in an isolated place in the village. Santhosh used to go to school on foot. “After returning home in the evening he used to go back to school to play. He used to avoid the road and cross the fields to cut short the distance,” he said. Investigations revealed that the boy used to be back home by 6 pm. But since he could not be found till 6.30 pm, his parents and villagers went in search of him.

As they flashed lights through the fields they found a pack of dogs. However, never did they imagine that the dogs were biting Santhosh, who was already dead. Horrified at the sight, Sethupathi and the villagers chased the dogs and called for a doctor in the locality, who declared that the boy was dead. The officer said that he suffered bites all over the body including one on a vein in the neck, which had resulted in excessive blood loss.

On Friday the boy’s body was buried. Villagers said they heard unusual noises from the place – where the boy was found dead – but they could not hear the hapless boy’s cries as the barking was louder. They suspect that the dogs could have been aggressive as it is the mating season. He could have become a victim for no fault of his but for using that path.

