This little report is likely to bother those who hate stray dogs, keep complaining about their barking at odd hours, and want them removed, relocated, or destroyed. The barking of a stray dog in a deserted, unlit bylane in Vasai town, about 60 km from Bombay, well past midnight startled a would-be rapist long enough to enable his intended victim to escape from his grasp, according to the local police.
The incident took place at about 1:30 am local time on June 30, the tabloid newspaper Mid-Day reported. The woman, an accountant aged 32, had reached Vasai Road station by one of the late-night suburban local trains from Bombay and was walking through Tungareshwar lane, a short-cut to reach the main road, when a tall, well-built young man accosted her. Threatening to rape her, the man put his hand over the woman’s mouth to prevent her screaming and pushed her to the ground.
Suddenly, however, a stray dog appeared on the scene and began barking, startling the attacker, whose grip on the woman loosened. Seizing the moment, the woman kicked the attacker off her and, as he lost balance, got up and ran into a nearby street. In the scuffle, however, the attacker managed to grab her iPhone, she later told police in her complaint.
A police team scrutinized footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area but could not discern much, given that there were no lights in the lane. They, however, still managed to trace the would-be attacker, a man who had previously duped people by posing as a police officer and also served a term in prison, using the description provided by the woman and local information. Police said the man, who was arrested after a scuffle, told them he had dumped the phone in a drain while fleeing the spot.
