LAHORE: The Iqbal Town police has sent a man behind the bars after his dog attacked and injured a teenager at a family park.

The police acted when the boy was hospitalised with injury and a video clip of the incident of attack by the dog went viral on social media. The dog is owned by Imran Raees while the victim is Azam, 13, both residents of same area.

The footage showed the dog mauling the boy who was bleeding and passersby tried to rescue him when he was crying for help. The dog owner, however, seemed unmoved. A passerby called 15 police and the Dolphin Squad reached there to investigate the matter, the footage shows.

The incident occurred on Monday and no application was filed against the owner of the dog by the family. It transpired that both sides went for reconciliation. Iqbal Town Division SP (Operations) Mohammad Ajmal took notice of the incident when video clips of the incident went viral on social media. On inquiring, the SHO apprised him of an agreement between the father of the injured boy and the dog owner.

The SP directed the SHO to lodge a case against the owner of the dog by making police complainant and ensure his arrest.

Mr Ajmal told Dawn that the action had been taken against the owner of the dog because it was highly risky to take dangerous dogs to the family park. He said he was carrying two dogs at that time when some children were also playing in the park. As he unleashed the dogs, one of them attacked the boy, the SP said. He said the man had been sent behind the bars after registration of a case.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2020