Mumbai, September 23: In an unfortunate incident that took place in Chhattisgarh, an eight-year-old girl allegedly lost her wife after she fell into a stepwell while trying to escape from stray dogs in Surajpur district. Police officials said that the incident took place on Thursday evening in Satpata village. The victim has been identified as Khanam.

According to a report in the Times of India, Zeenat Khanam was returning home from tuition in the evening with her elder sister when the incident occurred. While the two sisters were on their way back home, a group of stray dogs started barking, frightening the girls. This led them to run. While the elder sister took a turn and hid behind vehicles, Zeenat, who was in haste, fell into an old stepwell. Dog Attack in Chhattisgarh: 5-Year-Old Girl Mauled to Death by Stray Dogs in Koriya.

Zeenat's elder sister immediately rushed home and informed her family about the incident. Soon, cops were alerted, too. The police, along with the SDRF team, arrived at the scene and launched a search operation. The rescue operation was challenging due to the extreme filth and mud. However, after a few hours, they recovered Zeenat's body from the well.

Later, cops sent Zeenat's body to a community health center for further autopsy. An officer privy to the case said that the father of the deceased, who was on a flight to Dubai, reached Delhi when he received the news of his daughter's sudden demise. He immediately returned home. Chhattisgarh: Stray Dog Tied With Wires, Dragged to Death in Durg; One Arrested Under Animals Act.

Meanwhile, the villagers have expressed concerns about the increasing danger posed by the stairwell. They told cops that the stepwell used to be a large, old well which gradually spread due to subsidence, thereby converting into a stepwell.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 23, 2023 02:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).