Coimbatore: In a shocking incident, a painter, who was in an inebriated condition, was mauled to death by stray dogs near Uppilipalayam on Sunday night. A pack of stray dogs is suspected to have chased and attacked K. Pugalenthi, aged 46, a resident of Kallimadai to death.
The incident came to light only when people noticed several stray dogs mauling the man lying dead in a bushy area on GV Residency road –Uppilipalayam road junction on Monday morning.
“The canines had consumed considerable amount of flesh on his thighs and hands. Sensing trouble on seeing a huge number of dogs trying to hound him, Pugalenthi hurled stones to chase them away. However, the furious canines attacked him to death,” said a cop, attach ed to the Singanallur station.
An alcoholic, Pugalenthi is married to Maheswari, 40 from Kallimadai and has two children. “As he frequently quarreled with his wife under the influence of alcohol, Maheswari left him to go to her mother’s house along with her two children ten days ago. However, she was reunited with him after Pugalenthi visited her on Sunday and convinced her he would lead a reformed life.
On the same day, Pugalenthi left the house telling his wife that he is going out to meet his friends. However, he went to a liquor shop in Uppilipalayam,” police said.
On his way back, Pugalenthi had encountered the stray dogs that mauled him to death. Not to take jump to conclusions on the evidence so far, police are probing if he was killed and his body dumped in the bush, after which the dogs could have bitten him.
“Though stray dogs are present in our neighbourhood like in all other places in the city, we don’t face any threat due to them. We suspect the man may have died of other causes reasons,” said R. Raveendran, honorary secretary of residents awareness association of Coimbatore (RAAC).
The Singanallur police have registered a case of suspicious death and further investigations are on. “We will know the exact reason for his death only based on the post mortem report from the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH),” a cop said.
