Sambalpur: A man allegedly seen eating the meat of a dog killed in a road accident near Maneswar Chhak on the outskirts of Sambalpur was rescued Saturday after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
The man was rescued by a joint team of the district Social Security department and police and shifted to the Halfway Home at the Integrated Infrastructure Complex (IIC) in Baijamunda near Burla, District Social Security Officer (DSSO) Soura Chandra Pani said.
According to Pani, the department received information from the Sadar SDPO at around 10:30 pm Friday about a man allegedly seen eating a dead dog by the roadside. A search operation was launched with police assistance, but he could not be traced that night.
He was rescued Saturday morning following information from a volunteer in Naksapali area. Eyewitnesses said the man was sitting on the roadside, tearing flesh from the carcass of a dog apparently killed by a passing vehicle.
Some local residents tried to drive him away, following which he initially stared at them aggressively before fleeing. He had reportedly visited a nearby hotel shortly before the incident but left after staff failed to understand what he was saying.
Pani said the department had not witnessed the incident and could not independently verify the authenticity of the viral video. He added that the rescued man showed no signs of violent behaviour or severe mental disturbance and identified himself as being from Ranchi.