37-year-old woman suffers spinal injury after dog out on walk attacks her, owner held

Residents said this was the first such incident involving the dog, though police are yet to verify this

A 53-year-old woman was arrested on Monday after her pet dog allegedly attacked a resident of a high-rise society in Greater Noida West, causing the woman to fall from a first-floor walkway. The 37-year-old victim sustained a serious spinal fracture in the incident, police said.

CCTV footage of the attack, widely circulated on social media, shows the woman walking along the first-floor walkway of Supertech Eco Village 1 when a dog, an indie breed accompanied by its owner, suddenly lunges at her. (HT Photo)

CCTV footage of the attack, widely circulated on social media, shows the woman walking along the first-floor walkway of Supertech Eco Village 1 when a dog, an indie breed accompanied by its owner, suddenly lunges at her. Startled, the woman—who was walking close to the boundary wall—appears to lose her balance and falls to the ground below.

Police identified the dog owner as Mandira Mitra, a resident of the society’s S2 Tower. The injured woman, a homemaker, lives with her husband—a private sector employee—in a rented flat in the same building.

“On Monday around 9am, while I was at home, I received a call from my wife’s phone. A resident informed me she had fallen from the first-floor walkway. I rushed to the spot and found her lying on the ground. We called an ambulance and took her to a nearby private hospital,” her husband said, requesting anonymity.

He added, “While my wife was taking a walk, as she always does, and reached near the K1 Tower, a pet dog accompanied by a woman suddenly attacked her. In her frantic attempt to save herself, she fell to the ground from the first floor.”

“Since then, my wife has been unable to walk. Her doctors have told us that she suffered a spinal fracture and they are performing surgery today (Tuesday),” he said.

Residents said this was the first such incident involving the dog, though police are yet to verify this.

Based on the husband’s complaint, a case has been registered at Bisrakh police station. “We have registered a case under Section 291 (negligent conduct with respect to animals) and Section 124A (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the dog owner. Further investigation is underway,” said Diksha Singh, assistant commissioner of police, Central Noida.

A resident of the society, who did not wish to be named, said, “Since Monday’s incident, people have been avoiding pet dogs. Many residents are now asking for strict guidelines to regulate the control and movement of pets.”

Chaudhary Vijay Chauhan, a representative of Supertech Eco Village 1, said, “Earlier, residents had raised concerns about pet dogs being allowed on the walkway, as hundreds of people use that area. After Monday’s incident, we have decided to restrict pet access to the walkway, as we cannot predict when they might get aggressive.”

“We have also decided to establish rules for pet owners. A meeting will be held soon to discuss the matter. Additionally, the society has decided to increase the height of the railing to help prevent such incidents in the future,” Chauhan said.

Supertech Eco Village 1 has 8,125 flats, of which 6,700 have been sold. Nearly 20,000 residents currently live in the society.