Viral Video: Dog Tries To Save Elderly Owner While Son Assaults, Drags Her On Road

A 40-year-old man has been arrested after the video of him assaulting and dragging his elderly mother on the road went viral on the internet.

According to the police, the accused, identified as Shanmugham, a resident of the Ponneripatti village in Tamil Nadu, India, attacked his 65-year-old mother, Nalammal after she refused to give him her hard-earned money.

Nalammal had saved Rs 3 lakh ($ 17522 approx.) while working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) scheme which guarantees hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

After her husband's death, Nallammal lived alone in their family home, which was on her name, and survived on her daily wage earnings. She had already registered her land in her son's name but "he also demanded to transfer the house to his name, but Nalammal refused," police said.

On Saturday, Aug. 21, the accused went to his mother demanding the same. A heated argument broke out between the two when she refused again.

"When she turned down the same, he started thrashing her and dragged her on the road for a few meters," the Times of India quoted a police official as saying.

A villager captured the shocking moments on his cellphone and later shared it on social media.

In the video, Shanmugam can be seen dragging his mother on the road while trying to snatch away the locker keys from her.

Meanwhile, Nallammal's pet dog comes for her rescue and tries to attack Shanmugam. However, Shanmugam's wife and their relatives chased away the dog and fled the scene leaving Nallammal on the road.

Onlookers alerted the police and officers transported the injured victim to a nearby hospital for medical attention. Her current condition is unknown, but she is expected to recover soon, police said.

Shanmugam was arrested for assaulting his mother. A lookout has been issued to locate his wife who is believed to be absconding, police said.