Amazon delivery executive Mohammad Ilias allegedly jumped off the third floor of a building and sustained multiple fractures.
Published May 22, 2023 | 8:39 PM ⚊ Updated May 23, 2023 | 1:47 PM
Mohamad Ilias
A day after an Amazon delivery executive jumped off the third floor of a building in Hyderabad while trying to escape a customer’s dog, there is a tussle between his family and the canine’s owner over his hospital expenses.
The incident occurred at around 12.30 pm on Sunday, 21 May, when 30-year-old Mohammad Ilias went to deliver a mattress at the Sri Nidhi Heights in the Panchavathi Colony in the Manikonda area of Hyderabad.
After Ilias rang the doorbell of the customer, her dog is said to have repeatedly barked and tried to jump on him.
He retreated in fear and is said to have fallen from the third floor of the building, sustaining multiple fractures in his legs and hands.
The incident brought back memories from 11 January this year, when Swiggy delivery executive Mohammed Rizwan (23) also fell from the third floor of a building in Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills area after being chased by a customer’s dog. Rizwan succumbed to his injuries the next day.
The Raidurgam police registered an FIR, accessed by South First, against the dog’s owner — Leela Rani (50) — late on Sunday night under IPC Section 289 (negligence with respect to animals).
Mohamad Ilias.
In the FIR, the victim recorded that as soon as the customer opened the door, the dog started barking at him and tried to attack him.
A frightened Ilias tried to escape by jumping the cemented wall of the balcony on the third floor.
But the dog continued barking at him and even tried to jump over him, he said. As a result, Ilias fell from the third floor.
“The customer (Leela Rani) did not inform him about the dog at their house when he called her after reaching the location, and the dog was not restrained,” the FIR based on Ilias’ complaint read.
In the complaint registered by the victim’s brother Mohammad Younus, the family requested legal action against the accused for not taking any precautions and being negligent with the dog.
However, Younus told South First that the family’s priority was the best treatment for Ilias, who is currently admitted to Attapur’s Germanten Hospital.
Labrador who attacked Ilias. (Supplied)
“He is still in critical condition with at least three major fractures. Surgery is needed for them,” Younus said.
As per the medical records of the victim, accessed by South First, the hospital has asked his family to deposit ₹3.7 lakh for the surgery.
Ilias sustained fractures in the bones of his thigh, toes, left arm, right forearm, knees, and other places.
His brother told South First that the injuries would render him bedridden for four to six months.
“The husband of the dog-owner offered to pay ₹1 lakh in parts — ₹30,000 this month and ₹10,000 each for the next seven months. But my brother’s surgery needs to take place right now. As we are delivery partners for Amazon, the company is not liable to pay us. So, we want them to pay the total expenses as it is hard for my family to bear it,” Younus said.
He claimed that the Raidurgam police had given the accused time till 22 May night for an out-of-court settlement.
“If they do not agree, then the court proceedings will begin, and the woman (customer) would be arrested,” he said.
Speaking to South First, Hyderabad-based Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) president Shaik Salauddin also demanded that Amazon bear Illias’ “loss of pay” as he was injured during duty hours and would not be able to return to work immediately.
The husband of Leela Rani, the customer to whom Ilias went to deliver the mattress, alleged that the victim’s family initially said that they had his insurance cover and would get him treated on their own.
“I am a pensioner. Five people in my family depend on me. I have agreed to pay ₹1 lakh in instalments,” 75-year-old Subbiram Reddy told South First.
However, Ilias’s brother claimed that he found that the insurance card he mentioned initially would only cover treatment for cardiac issues.
“None of us had any idea what these insurance cards could do. Only my brother got it, and that too without a proper idea [of what it covers]. I even tried for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, but to no avail. We did not want to burden the dog owner’s family, but we are left with no choice now,” Younus said.
Subbiram Reddy also stated that he advised them to go to Osmania General Hospital as it was known for administering the best treatment.
But Younus felt otherwise. “We all know the critical situation my brother is in. We also know the standard of treatment in government hospitals,” he said.
