Kondhwa shocker: Boy locked up with dogs, rescued

The 11-year-old had been expelled from school for biting and behaving like a dog.

Chaitraly Deshmukh

Pune

In a shocking revelation, a 11-year-old boy in Kondhwa area has been rescued, thanks to the efforts taken by a good samaritan who noticed that the boy’s parents would lock him up with 22 pet dogs.

The boy had also been expelled from school for biting and behaving like a dog. Based on a tip-off received at the Dnyanadevi childline, the boy was rescued on Monday.

Aparna Modak, a volunteer at the Dnyanadevi childline lodged an FIR with Kondhwa police station against his parents under relevant sections of the Juveline Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000.  Both the parents were arrested and later granted bail. The 11-year-old boy has been sent to shelter home by the child welfare committee for 10 days.  

Speaking to Pune Pulse, Anuradha Sahasrabudhe, director, Dnyanadevi Childline said, “We received a rescue call on May 1 by an anonymous person who gave us details about the incident. We verified the information and accordingly approached the house along with the dog rescue team, police and CWC officials. At the spot, the situation was horrible and the stink unbearable. We learnt that the neighbours had repeatedly complained about the said incident to the health department of Pune Muncipal Corporation and others. We approached the house which looked like a one BHK apartment and had 22 dogs. The house had apparently never been cleaned. The couple did not cook anything at home. Food was ordered from outside. The wrappers were also all over the place. The pet Dogs excreta was also not removed. They themselves never bathed and were stinking as was the child. The child was showing behavioural problems. During the initial probe, we learnt that the child would be kept locked up inside the house along with the dogs, whenever the parents went out.”

Sahasrabudhe also said that the rescued boy was expelled from school for aggressive behaviour.  “He used to bite, attack peer classmates and behave like a dog. It is really wrong on part of the school to expel the boy. They should have approached us or the police. They too need to be punished. The boy has been confined indoors ever since he was thrown out of school. When we went, the house was locked with the child and the dogs inside. We don’t have an authority to break the door and so the police left. Luckily, the boy’s father came at the right time. A dead dog was lying inside. Neighbours said three more had died the day before and the stink was permeating all around,” she said.

Talking about the incident, senior inspector Sardar Patil of Kondhwa police station said that case has been registered and the parents have been arrested. “The boy’s father owns an industry, apart from being a cloth merchant. The industry has been under lock and key for many days. We are investing the case.” he said.