A 35-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday after viral CCTV footage showed her allegedly assaulting and dragging a 10-year-old boy out of an elevator in a Greater Noida West high-rise, police said, adding that the area falls under the jurisdiction of Bisrakh police. The incident took place on Wednesday around 5.30pm, when the minor, a resident of F block, was returning from tuition.
In the one-minute CCTV footage, the frightened child is seen pleading with the woman with folded hands while she stands with her pet dog. Moments later, she drags the boy out of the elevator and assaults him, police said. When the boy re-enters the elevator, his hands appear to be trembling in fear, the video reveals, they added.
The accused lives alone in the society with three pet dogs. “A case under section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered, and further investigation is underway,” said central Noida assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Diksha Singh.
According to a society resident who wished to remain anonymous, the boy had gone for tuition in the same building and later realised he had forgotten a book. While returning home, he mistakenly did not press ‘0,’ and the lift directly reached the 25th floor of the 26-floor building.
”As the lift opened, the boy saw a woman with two pet dogs. When he requested her not to enter the lift with the dogs, she ordered him to step out. She then dragged him out and assaulted him,” the resident said.
After returning home, the boy narrated the incident to his parents, who immediately checked the CCTV footage with society’s security staff and alerted the police and Apartment Owners’ Association (AOA), police said. Society residents claimed that the accused has been involved in multiple conflicts with neighbours.
“When I, along with other residents and police personnel, approached her flat, she misbehaved and even threatened to file a complaint against me. She has had altercations with residents in the past, and we have approached the police earlier too,” said an AOA representative.
She added, “Records show that she keeps three to four pet dogs in her home, and at the time of the incident, her dog was unleashed. We have urged the police to take action against her for negligently keeping pets.”