A Mankhurd man, Sohail Khan, was booked by police in Mumbai on Thursday after a viral video showed him allegedly setting a pit bull on 11-year-old Hamza Khan. Hamza was playing in a parked autorickshaw in front of a building and Khan laughed as the child was attacked and bitten by a pit bull. The attack was filmed and the video uploaded on social media, leading police to suspect that it wasn’t just a cruel prank but a premeditated act, designed to go viral.
Sohail allegedly walked up to the autorickshaw and released a brown pit bull into the vehicle to scare the boy, Hindustan Times reported. It can be seen in the video that the dog went out of control, attacked and bit Hamza, injuring him. He is seen screaming and trying to get away from the dog. Later, Hamza said that among passersby, no one came to save him and that he was very scared, NDTV reported.
Hamza managed to flee the scene but the dog chased after him for a few meters. “While all of it was filmed. Sohail was in the rickshaw, in the front seat, laughing as the dog bit the child,” a police officer told media in Mumbai. When Hamza’s father, Haleem Khan, 35, saw the video online, he registered a FIR with Mankhurd police.
“We have booked Sohail Khan, who claims he is not the pit bull’s owner. The dog seems to be a pet as he was wearing a collar. We are currently making inquiries to identify its owner and will check with the BMC as pet dogs are supposed to be registered with them,” senior inspector Madhu Ghorpade was quoted saying.
A case has been registered against Sohail Khan, who was arrested on Friday. He was later released after being served a notice, an official told PTI.
