2 min readLucknowMar 2, 2026 01:32 PM IST
A seven-year-old girl was killed allegedly by a pack of stray dogs in a village on the outskirts of Lucknow on Sunday evening.
Police said the child’s body was found in a thicket, 150 metres away from her home in Tarona village.
The incident has left residents in shock and raised fresh concerns over the menace of stray dogs in rural areas.
Police said a preliminary inquiry revealed that around 6.30 pm, the girl, Anshika Vishwakarma, had gone alone towards the bushes to relieve herself.
When she did not return, worried family members and local residents began searching for her. Villagers then discovered her mutilated body lying on the ground and a few stray dogs standing at a distance.
Police said the girl’s parents and other family members rushed to the spot while villagers, some carrying sticks, chased the animals away.
Police were alerted immediately, following which a team reached the scene, took custody of the body and sent it for post-mortem examination.
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Officers said a brief examination showed the body bore deep bite marks, particularly on the face and hands. No resident reported hearing any cries for help at the time of the incident, they said.
Station House Officer of Rahimabad police station, Arun Kumar, said, “Only after the medical examination and autopsy report will it be clear whether the attack was carried out by stray dogs or any other animal.”
Anshika was the eldest of three children of farmer Dileep Kashyap. She was studying in Class I. The village is located around 55 km from the Lucknow headquarters.
In a similar incident in January, a three-year-old girl was mauled to death allegedly by a pack of stray dogs in a village in UP’s Moradabad.
