COIMBATORE: A dog trainer allegedly unleashed his pet dog to attack a woman and minor girl after the duo helped his live-in partner when she was forcibly thrown out of the house in a half-dressed state by him. The police arrested the man on Saturday evening.
The arrested was identified as K Udhayakumar (40), from Alankombu near Sirumugai. He had separated from his wife three years ago. A decade ago, when he was working in West Bengal, he befriended an Odisha native. She has been living with him at Sirumugai for the past few months. Udhayakumar often fought with her and allegedly beat her, the police said.
On Friday night, an argument broke out between them and she wanted to leave for her hometown. After he allegedly assaulted her and forcibly sent her out of the house in a half-dressed state, she hid in a stormwater drain outside the house and sought help.
When neighbours rushed to her rescue and gave her a dress, the man picked up a quarrel with them. In a fit of rage, he unleashed his dog, a pitbull, and it bit two of the neighbours—Nivedha (20) and Lathika (10). Nivedha suffered injuries on her neck and mouth and Lathika on her thigh. The two were treated as outpatients at Mettupalayam government hospital, the police said.
One of the neighbours, S Senthamaraiselvi (45) from Alankombu, complained to the Sirumugai police, who then on Saturday afternoon registered a case against Udhayakumar under sections 294 (b) (uttering obscene words), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or by means of any animal), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women (TNPHW) Act. He was arrested and remanded in prison on Saturday night.