PANJIM: It was a pleasant Sunday evening. At around 6.45 pm Ram Milan, a food delivery agent, was getting ready to proceed to work. As he was moving out from his small rented room at Shivnagar, Alto-Oitiyant, Taleigao, his two children requested that he take them out for an outing. However, their mother intervened and told them to allow Papa to proceed to work and promised to take them out for an evening walk.
Milan picked up his thermal food delivery bag and ventured out of his room. As promised, the mother too moved out of the room with her kids and after covering around 50-70 metres, they reached the lanes of an elite colony in Shivnagar.
Enjoying the cool breeze they passed by a posh bungalow ‘07 SHREENIDHI’, where the gate was open and this is when the terror unleashed. The Rottweiler moving inside the compound set his sights on the innocent kids as the beast moved out and walked towards them and started sniffing them.
As soon as the beast started to sniff them, the poor little kids were terrified. However, the mother pleaded with a woman, reportedly a maid employed in the said bungalow, who was inside the compound, to take away the dog. The mother pleaded: “Aap kutte ko le jao mere bacche darr rahe hai” (please take the dog inside as my kids are scared). The particular maid/caretaker ignored her plea, but the mother kept pleading. The maid/caretaker replied, “Wo kuch nahi karega, sirf sungh raha hai” (the dog won’t do anything, it is just sniffing). The mother pleaded for the third time, saying “Nahi aap le jao isko, humein dar lag raha hai” (please take it, we are scared). The maid came out and tried to grab the ferocious dog and pull him away. It was at this moment the dog pounced on the little kids. The dog first attacked the little boy, and as the mother tried to rescue her child, the beast grounded the little girl by grabbing her by the neck and sinking its canines deep into her skull.
The helpless mother kept crying for help, and the maid got frightened. However, two others came to their rescue and pushed the dog away. But it was too late. The damage was done as the incident took place within half a minute. The beast was finally taken inside the compound but the children, who were left bleeding, were told to return home by the particular maid/caretaker.
Terrified to see her children in agonising pain, the mother took her dupatta and wrapped it around the girl’s head to control the bleeding from her skull. Holding the girl on one side and the boy on the other, she started walking towards her rented room. After covering a few steps, a local resident, who heard their cries, arrived on the two-wheeler and was shocked to see the kids bleeding. The mother, who was in shock, started to stammer and later narrated the incident. The resident made them take rest in a garage of a housing complex situated in the same lane and later contacted the police control room and 108 ambulance service. By that time, the other residents gathered at the spot.
After 10 minutes of the incident, the children’s mother contacted her husband Ram Milan over the phone informing him about serious injuries to children caused by the beast.
Shocked after learning about the incident Milan in no time arrived at Shivnagar. However, as he was not familiar with the area, Milan started calling his wife and finally reached the spot. Seeing his kids in agony and blood oozing out, he ran and somehow managed to get a blanket and tried wrapping it around them to control the bleeding.
After hearing their cries and noticing the crowd gathered, the Rottweiler owner’s son from inside the compound watched the kids bleeding. “We will take care of your kids’ medical expenses,” he said to Milan from inside the compound.
In a high-pitched voice, a lady from the locality said, “Forget about the money, you should have the courtesy to come out and see the children in agonising pain who were attacked by your dog.”
The son of the Rottweiler owner replied saying, “I have seen them, ma’am.” He immediately moved inside the bungalow.
The first call made to the 108 ambulances was at 7.27 pm by a resident, but till 7.45-7.50 pm, the ambulance did not arrive. The locals kept calling the ambulance and the response they got from the ambulance operator/driver was that he lost his way.
Meanwhile, when the police arrived at the scene, the Rottweiler owner’s son stepped out of the compound and offered to shift the victims in his private car. However, in a few minutes (at around 8.10 pm) the ambulance arrived.
After the ambulance left, the dog owner’s son directed his manager to visit GMC. The manager along with a male domestic help followed the ambulance in an SUV.
The scenes at GMC were painful. After receiving primary treatment the children were shifted to Ward 138. Here the mother fell unconscious on seeing the deep cut on the daughter’s skull. The doctors later shifted the children back to the Casualty Ward’s minor OT for treatment.
Milan, who was helpless, had no option but to leave his wife alone near the ward and stay with his little kids who received treatment in Minor OT. He pleaded with a medical representative to save his children as they had suffered severe bleeding.
Meanwhile, the manager was seen moving in and out of the Minor OT and was constantly over the phone updating his boss and receiving instructions.
Both kids were shifted back to Ward 138 by 2-2.30 am following the desired treatment. Until Monday evening, only the manager was in the hospital and none of the family members of the owner even made it a point to visit the victims.
95,902 dog bite cases reported across Goa since five and half years.
PANJIM: On average, 40 dog bite cases have been reported on a daily basis this year in the State.
The data provided by the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) revealed that a total of 8,700 dog bite cases have been recorded from January to July this year.
As many as 95,902 dog bite cases have been reported across the State since the last five and half years.
2013 12,857 cases
2016: 18,585 cases
2018: 22,527 cases
2019: 22,090*
2020 9,556*
2021: 9,126*
2022: 23,903
( COVID and aftermath years)*
As per the report, Goa has witnessed a substantial rise in the number of dog bite cases. A total of 12,857 cases were reported, after which the State witnessed a 44 per cent rise in dog bite cases, with a total of. From cases of dog bites.
In cases, in cases. During the COVID pandemic the cases dropped significantly. In and in. The cases rose again when the Covid-related restrictions were lifted by the State administration. cases were registered.
This data is gathered by the DHS from cases reported at government hospitals, health centres, private hospitals and private doctors.
Rottweiler owner arrested, asked to produce pet registration documents
PANJIM: A day after registering an FIR, the Panjim Police on Tuesday arrested 63-year-old V Madhav Rao Chavan, the owner of the Rottweiler that unleashed terror by mauling two innocent siblings aged five and six at Shivnagar Alto-Oitiyant, Taleigao on Sunday evening.
Based on the formal complaint filed by victims’ father Ram Milan, Chavan, former PWD engineer has been arrested and booked under Sections 289 (negligent conduct concerning animals) 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC. However, later in the day Chavan was granted bail by a local court following a surety.
Confirming Chavan’s arrest, a senior police officer at Panjim Town Police Station said that the owner has been asked to produce the documents if he has registered his dog with the local civic body or any other department concerned.
“If Chavan is not in possession of the registration or licence then we will initiate further action as per different provisions of relevant laws,” the police officer said.
He also said that the Panjim Police will write to the department concerned about the issuance of licence/registration certificate for pet dogs and will request to issue the necessary directions to dog owners to prevent such incidents in the future.
PSI Amir Taral is investigating the case under the supervision of Panjim Police Inspector (PI) Nikhil Palekar.
Cops stepped in after O Heraldo’s calls
When O Heraldo sought to know what action had been taken by the Panjim Police, Milan started receiving calls from the police. He was told “incident is in the media” and that they are sending a police team to GMC, his wife was asked to visit the Panjim Police Station to record her statement and was promised by the police to drop her back at GMC
Moments after what could have been a fatal tragedy
“We will take care of your kids’ medical expenses,” Rottweiler owner’s son to the father of the kids, Milan, from inside the compound
A lady from the locality angrily replied: “Forget about the money, you should have courtesy to come out and see the children in agonising pain who were attacked by your dog.”
8The first call made to the 108 was at 7.27 pm by a resident, but till 7.45-7.50 pm the ambulance did not arrive