MANGALURU: A 60-year-old man was mauled to death allegedly by a street dog at Kumpala on the outskirts of Mangaluru on Friday morning. Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said the body of the deceased, Dayananda, was surrounded by blood stains and had multiple deep bite wounds. Local residents told the police that the man was seen walking around 3 am.
“Initially, injuries on his body indicated that he was attacked by an animal. A forensic doctor, who visited the spot, too confirmed that the death was due to an animal attack. People saw a dog moving around with blood over its mouth. The dog was also found later, and there were clear blood stains on its body,” the commissioner said.
He cautioned those who are spreading rumours of it being a murder. “If found, they’ll be in trouble,” he said.
Dayananda, after consuming alcohol, had slept near a laundry shop opposite NH66 Kumpala Bypass Road on Thursday night. He was allegedly attacked by the dog in the early hours of Friday. “His body was found near the shop. He used to sleep there every day,” a milk booth owner said.
The dog that is suspected to have killed Dayananda has been captured and and sent to an animal care centre at Shaktinagar. The blood samples of the deceased man and the blood stains on the dog have been collected and sent to the laboratory for further examination. DCP Law and Order Mithun HN said that a lab report to confirm whether the dog is rabid is awaited. The Ullal police have booked a case of unnatural death.