A 14-year-old Indian boy succumbed to rabies a month after being bitten by a neighbour’s dog, allegedly because he kept it a secret.

Shahvaz, a class eight student, died on Monday night, when he was being transported back to Ghaziabad from Bulandshahr where he had been transferred for treatment after his condition worsened.

Indian media reported that Shahvaz, a resident of Charan Singh colony of Ghaziabad, was bitten by a neighbour’s dog one-and-a-half months ago, but he hid it from his parents out of fear.

He started behaving abnormally after contracting rabies and stopped eating on September 1. The family rushed him to the government hospital in Bulandshahr, Dehli, when he told them that he had been bitten by their neighbour’s dog.

However, he passed away while returning from Bulandshahr with his father.

Following the incident, the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation issued a notice to a woman, who is the owner of the dog. The notice stated that she had kept the dogs in an ‘unauthorized’ manner and that they were continuously barking.

The civic body also sought to know if the dogs had been registered with it, and if they had been vaccinated. “Under the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, it’s mandatory for pet dogs to be registered and vaccinated,” the notice read.

The administration gave notice to the woman and asked her to file a response within three days with the dog’s registration details, she would be fined Rs5000 if she failed to answer.