A bull ran wild through the streets of New Delhi, injuring six people and evading capture for seven hours.

According to reports, the animal "ran amok" through "two markets, a movie theatre, a Sikh temple and the YWCA."

Cows are common in India, where according to the Press Trust of India news agency, an estimated 28,000 beasts compete for space with New Delhi's 14 million residents.

According to the Indian Express newspaper, the bull ran down roads charging groups of people and scattering crowds in a frenzy that took it through some of the city's busiest streets, markets and the entrance area to the Regal Cinema.

However, after the animal calmed down, police tried to apprehend it, causing another rampage.

Canada's CNews adds, the second run took the bull through the grounds of a YWCA hostel and a prominent temple. Only by late afternoon did police call in a city veterinary doctor, who shot the bull with a tranquilizer dart after the beast was cornered near an apartment block.