Thrissur (Kerala), March 13 A stray dog is alleged to have fatally attacked an 84-year-old woman who was bedridden, and residents at Vellarakad killed the dog on Friday, according to police.
The bedridden Karthiyani and her son Devadasan, who also has health problems, were attacked by the dog on Thursday evening.
Police said that residents searched for the stray dog and found it around 2 am on Friday, after which it was killed.
The dog's body will be examined by veterinarians to determine whether it had rabies.
Police said that apart from Karthiyani, the dog also attacked three other people and three other dogs in the area.
Meanwhile, the Erumapetty police registered a case of unnatural death related to the incident on Friday.
The body of Karthiyani will be handed over to her relatives after the post-mortem examination.
Devadasan was discharged from the hospital on Friday morning, police added.
The incident came to light when Karthiyani's other son, Mani, reached the house in the evening with dinner.
Police said that Mani found Devadasan severely injured while Karthiyani was lying in a pool of blood in her bedroom.
Both were immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where the death of the elderly woman was confirmed, police said.
Residents claim that stray dogs survive by feeding on animal skins brought for the percussion instrument "Chenda" at cottage industries operating in the area.