MUMBAI, April 4 -- A stray dog bit at least eight people in Naigaon on Friday morning when devotees were exiting the Daya Mata Church in Ranshet after attending Good Friday prayers. The injured were rushed to the civic run-DM Petit Hospital and discharged after being administered anti-rabies injections, said Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) health officer Dr Bhakti Chaudhary. The stray dog was captured by a team from the VVCMC following a call to the emergency number, officials said. Margret Pareira, a witness to the incident, said she was leaving the church after prayers around 9am when she heard loud noises and dog barks. "I ran out and saw a dog attacking several people. I immediately called the police emergency number. We had read about the dog menace in Vasai-Virar in the papers and on TV - now, we have witnessed it first hand," Pareira told Hindustan Times. Data from the VVCMC shows that in 2025, the total number of dog bite cases stood at 46,000, up from 36,000 in 2024. More than 10,000 dog bite cases have been recorded in the first two months of this year alone. A few days ago, a young girl in Nalasopara died from rabies after being scratched by a stray dog around five months ago. The menace of dog bites had captured public attention then, and officials from the VVCMC health department had assured citizens of taking precautionary measures to curb the menace....