CHENNAI: A 45-year-old construction worker died after suffering seizures at his home in Kotturpuram on Tuesday evening. The deceased was identified as Murugan. Police are probing whether dog bite had led to his death after it emerged that Murugan was bitten by stray dogs twice in the past two months.
According to the Kotturpuram police, Murugan, who was addicted to alcohol, was bitten by a stray dog around 40 to 45 days ago but did not seek medical treatment at the time.
On Monday, while returning home allegedly in an inebriated state, he was bitten by another stray dog. This time, he visited a primary health centre in Saidapet, where he was administered an anti-rabies vaccine. On Tuesday evening, after having dinner,
Murugan developed seizures and collapsed. His wife rushed him to the Government Royapettah Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Hospital authorities said the family did not mention his earlier dog bites when he was brought to the hospital.
Police said the postmortem has been completed and they are awaiting the report to ascertain the cause of death. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials said a dog vaccination drive will be carried out in Kotturpuram on Thursday following the incident.
They added that it is still unclear whether Murugan received anti-rabies treatment after the first dog bite, as his family could not produce any medical records. Further investigation is under way.
