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UP police to use drones, night vision devices to trap feral dogs in Sitapur
Extra police force has also been deployed in Sitapur to intensify patrolling in villages where dog attacks have become frequent, police said.
The UP police will deploy drones and use night vision devices from Monday night to track and trap feral dogs in villages around Sitapur after the animals killed six children in the past six days and injured seven others in different villages.
Extra police force has also been deployed there to intensify patrolling in villages where dog attacks have become frequent, said director general of police (DGP) OP Singh on Sunday.
“We have formed multiple police teams and equipped them with drones, to cover larger areas, in a bid to trap the feral dogs. Night vision devices will also be used for patrolling during the night,” he said.
Feral dogs have killed six children in the past six days and injured seven others in different villages of Sitapur. Locals claim that 17 children have been killed since November last year but police put the toll at 12. The frequent dog attacks have terrorized villagers, many of whom have stopped sending their children to school.
Singh said a survey by police teams suggested that the canine menace existed mainly in around 20 villages under three police stations -- Sitapur Kotwali, Khairabad and Talgaon -- within a 20-km radius in Sitapur district.
The DGP said he and Sitapur superintendent of police (SP) Anand Kulkarni had chalked out a plan to end the dog menace after consulting experts of the National Disaster Management Authority. He said the experts will also be called for help, if required.
Singh said police station in-charges, as well as other officers of Sitapur, have been asked to sensitise villagers about dog attacks and also appeal to them to not allow their children to move out of their houses alone until the dogs are caught.
He said extra police response vehicles of UP 100 (police emergency response centre) have been deployed in the areas where dog menace is acute to intensify patrolling and avert any further casualties. The Sitapur SP had also been asked to rope in villagers in a bid to make patrolling against dog attacks more effective, Singh said.
