An 11-year-old boy was shockingly found confined, allegedly by his parents, with 22 stray dogs at an apartment in the Pune district of India's Maharashtra state. He had been there for more than two years.
The boy was rescued after locals informed a childcare non-governmental organisation, Dnyana Devi Childline.
Police have registered the complaint against the parents under a number of sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
"We also found four dog carcasses there. Even the animal excreta were not removed from the apartment. The boy was kept in filthy conditions," to Anuradha Sahasrabudhe, an executive director of Dnayana Devi, told daily newspaper, The Indian Express.
The boy's behaviour "resembled canines", the official said, adding that having been confined with the dogs for more than two years his behavioural development has been seriously affected. "His schooling was stopped as he started acting like dogs."
Media reports suggest that the parents are due be arrested soon.