CHENNAI: Tension prevailed in Ariyalur district when locals noticed a stray dog wandering around with the body of a newborn in its mouth on Friday.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, the body of a baby girl, merely a few hours after birth, was found dead in a garbage dump behind a private wedding hall in R S Mathur village located near Sendurai.

A stray dog, sniffing the scene, was seen loitering around with the baby's body in its mouth. Shocked by this, the locals chased the dog after which it dropped the child's body and ran away.

On information, the Koovagam police rushed to the scene and rescued the child's body and sent it to the government hospital for an autopsy.

They are investigating to trace the baby's parents and also to see if the child was a stillborn or thrown in the garbage dump on purpose.