Pitbull attacks woman, her pet near Aerocity, owner arrested

Delhi Police have arrested a 25-year-old man after his pet pitbull – a dog breed banned in many countries for its apparent ferocity – allegedly attacked a woman and her dog and bit them both near Aerocity in south Delhi on Monday evening.

The woman has alleged that the pitbull was not on a leash and that after the attack when she complained to the owner, he allegedly threatened her. A senior police officer said the woman was taken to Safdarjung hospital, from where she was discharged after treatment.

Pitbull dogs are said to be banned in many states of the US as well as in countries such as Finland, New Zealand and Brazil because they are perceived to be aggressive. Proponents of the breed, however, have engaged in a nature-versus-nurture debate over whether apparent aggressive tendencies in pitbulls may be appropriately attributed to owners’ care for the dog or inherent qualities

Monday’s incident took place around 7.30pm near Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport, when the woman, who lived on the premises of the JW Marriot hotel, was walking her dog, an Indian pariah.

In her complaint, the woman has alleged that all of a sudden and without provocation, a pitbull came running and attacked her dog. When she tried to intervene and save her pet, the pitbull proceeded to attack her too, biting her several times on her hand, the woman alleged. She has said that the pitbull’s owner then came to the spot, but was not able to handle his dog. She said when she complained to him, he threatened her and asked her to leave, the complaint reads.

The woman then reported the matter to the police and a police team that reached the spot arrested the man. The man was brought to the IGI airport police station. The man was identified as Neeraj Sahrawat, a resident of Mahipalpur, who also runs a hotel in the neighbourhood.

Police said the woman was then taken to her home which is within the premises of JW Marriot hotel in Aerocity, as her husband works with the hotel as a general manager. She first saw her family doctor after which she was taken to Safdarjung hospital for a medical examination, they said.

Deputy commissioner of police (IGIA) Rajeev Ranjan said that the woman’s medical examination confirmed that she had multiple dog bites. “A case was registered and the pitbull dog’s owner and he was arrested. Since it’s a bailable offence, he was later released on bail,” Ranjan said.

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