In an extremely tragic incident, a pack of vicious stray dogs surrounded a five-year-old boy and mauled him to death in Hyderabad on Sunday. The horrifying incident was captured by a CCTV camera in the Amberpet area of the city where the boy’s father worked as a security guard.

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The child, Pradeep, is seen walking alone when suddenly three ferocious dogs come charging towards him. The terrified boy tries to run, but the dogs pounce on him and pull him to the ground. Each time the child gets up to get away the dogs drag him to the ground and keep biting him all over.  Eventually he is completely overpowered by the dogs and turns limp.

No complaint has been filed by the family, police said.

The heart-breaking incident reflects the growing menace of stray dogs, and shocked citizens called for strict action from authorities in the case.

The incident comes merely a fortnight after a similar incident in which a four-year old boy was killed by stray dogs in Gujarat’s Surat.

Telangana’s Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao said he was “very pained” by the incident. “Sincere condolences to the family… Will do everything in our capacity to ensure this does not repeat,” he said.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Mayor Vijayalakshmi Gadwal called an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss emergency measures to ensure such a horrific tragedy does not happen again.

The stray dog issue has led to several disputes between animal lovers and those opposed to their presence of the animals in residential areas. The matter has even reached the courts. The Bombay High Court has emphasised that a mechanism was needed for the neutering, feeding, and vaccinating of stray dogs.