Pet dog bites teen who harassed woman sitting outside home during power cut

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For a few moments, all that can be heard in a 50-second long video is a woman screaming. Then her pet dog lunges at a teenage boy and begins biting him. The 32-year-old woman was with her dog near Thudiyalur in Coimbatore, on Wednesday, September 2, when the 16-year-old approached and harassed her. The confrontation was caught on camera and has since been widely shared on social media.

The woman, who does not have parents and is living with a mental health condition, was staying at a rental house at the time, police said. She was sitting outside the house during a power cut when the boy, who was walking past, tried to throw a stone at the dog before approaching her. He then grabbed the woman, prompting her to scream. Hearing her cries, the dog lunged at him and began biting him, following which the boy ran away.

The visuals show the woman shouting as the dog bites the teenager, who appears to struggle as the animal continues to attack him.

The police also found that the boy had allegedly set fire to a roadside petty shop shortly before the incident involving the woman. According to police sources who spoke to TNM, the boy was walking along the road when he allegedly flicked a lit cigarette onto the shop, setting it on fire, before proceeding towards the woman.

“We were investigating the fire and questioning him based on CCTV footage when the woman’s uncle came to the station. That was when we learned about the other incident and booked him for both offences,” the police said.

The police have charged him with offences of assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, and words, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman, as well as for causing the fire.

According to the police, the woman was accompanied by her pet dog when the boy allegedly approached her. During the incident, the woman reportedly raised an alarm, following which the dog attacked and bit the boy.

After the woman’s relatives approached the police and filed a complaint, the 16-year-old was subsequently arrested and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. 

Police said the woman is currently staying at a rehabilitation centre.

This story was written by a student interning with TNM.