In yet another shocking incident of the surging stray dog menace in the country, an 18-month-old toddler died after being mauled by stray dogs in a village of Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district on Friday.

According to reports, on late Friday evening, the toddler girl, identified as Satvika, was attacked by dogs while she was playing outside a house in Mettavalsa village where her mother worked as a maid.

As per officials, the incident took place in Mettavalsa village, located in the G. Sigadum Mandal area of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh at around 7:45 pm on Friday.

Reports said the toddler’s family rushed her to the Rajam Government Hospital where she received first aid, and later was shifted to Srikakulam Government Hospital for further treatment.

However, the little girl succumbed to her injuries at the hospital, police said, adding that a case has been registered in this regard and further investigation is ongoing.

In a similar incident, a 9-year-old boy was grievously injured after he was mauled by a pack of stray dogs in Karnataka’s Kolar district on Friday.

According to reports, the incident happened during wee hours of Friday morning at around 4 am when the victim, identified as 9-year-old Babu, was on his way for morning prayers at a nearby mosque.

Security camera footage of the disturbing incident, which went viral on social media platforms, showed the minor boy being mauled by a pack of 15-20 stray dogs on the street. The horrific video shows the boy’s body drenched in blood after the vicious mauling by the beasts.

Reports said that Babu, who received wounds on his belly, arms and face and head in the dog attack, was found lying on the street by a police constable, Rajanna, who rushed the boy to a nearby hospital from where he was shifted to RL Jalappa Medical College for advanced treatment.

Last week, a 65-year-old doctor was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs inside the campus of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) will, without any pre-conditions, back the Congress on 215 seats in next month’s Karnataka Assembly elections, senior party leader Randeep Surjewala said on Sunday, adding that there will be “friendly competition” between the two parties on the remaining seven seats.

Addressing a presser, Surjewala said the Congress reached out to the CPI— who recently announced their support for the grand old party in the May 10 polls— and it was agreed that the entire CPI cadre will “whole-heartedly without any pre-condition or expectation” support the Congress candidates in their battle to oust the ruling BJP from power.

Surjewala said that both parties have agreed that there will be a “friendly contest” on seven seats where the CPI has fielded its candidates but will completely back the Congress on the remaining 215 seats.

The Congress MP also lambasted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the state police arriving in Karnataka following a case registered on the complaint filed by the former President of Assam Youth Congress against IYC President Srinivas BV.

Surjewala called Sarma a “turncoat CM” who, he claimed, was trying to outbid Amit Shah to his post and has now become “infamous” for his antics to stay in the news.

Continuing his scathing attack against the Assam CM, Surjewala claimed Sarma is perhaps trying to erase the humiliation when PM Modi tried to have him arrested for the alleged Saradha Scam and Louis Berger Scam.

The Congress leader claimed that Sarma defected to the BJP to save himself from being implicated in the alleged scams.

Randeep Surjewala, who has been a key campaigner for the Congress, which is seeking wrest from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka, recently claimed that the saffron party is facing a “mass exodus” in the poll-bound state.

Karnataka goes to polls on May 10 and results for the 224-member Assembly will be announced on May 13.

In a shocking incident a man in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl for six months after abducting the minor back in September last year, officials said on Sunday.

An official said the girl was rescued by the police on Saturday and the accused, identified as 24-year-old Ashish Kumar, was arrested and booked.

According to the police, the girl’s family had filed a missing report in September last year following which the police had registered an FIR against an unidentified accused under sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to abduction and illegal detention.

Takha police outpost in-charge Phoolchandra Yadav said that following a tip-off, the cops rescued the missing girl from Gadwar area of the district on Saturday and arrested the accused.

Yadav said that after her rescue, the minor girl narrated her ordeal to the police and told them that Ashish Kumar repeatedly raped her over the past six months.

The senior official said the accused has booked for rape under relevant sections of the IPC and also under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as the girl is a minor.

Further investigation is ongoing, he added.

In a similar incident, last week, a 57-year-old teacher in Maharashtra’s Nagpur city was arrested for repeatedly raping a 12-year-old girl student studying in his school over the past three months under the pretext of marrying her.

Officials said a case was registered against the mathematics teacher for sexually assaulting the Class 6th student at the Sakkardara Police Station.

A senior official said the minor victim did not narrate her ordeal to anyone as the accused had threatened to kill her if she did, however, the matter came to light after the girl started experiencing acute stomach pain over the past few days and ultimately told her mother about the ongoing sexual abuse by her teacher.