Bahraich/Lucknow: Panic gripped villages on the fringes of the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division in Bahraich after a 75-year-old woman and a seven-year-old boy were killed in two separate suspected wildlife attacks within hours of each other on Friday evening.The first incident was reported from the Dharmapur range, where Jamia (75) of Gujarhana village went out to graze her goats around 2 pm. When she did not return home by evening, family members and villagers launched a search. The goats returned on their own around 7 pm, but the woman remained missing.During the search, villagers found a portion of her leg in a nearby field. Forest officials also found pugmarks in the area, leading to suspicions that a leopard attacked and dragged her away. Search operations are continuing, with forest teams trying to recover the remaining body parts and ascertain the exact circumstances of the attack.In a separate incident in the Motipur range, seven-year-old Suraj, a resident of Chamaran Purwa village, was allegedly attacked by a leopard while heading towards agricultural fields with another child. According to villagers, the animal suddenly emerged from bushes, seized the boy and dragged him away.The accompanying child managed to escape and raise an alarm. Villagers launched a frantic search and recovered Suraj’s mutilated body near the bushes around 8 pm.Police and Forest Department teams rushed to both locations and began investigations.The twin incidents have triggered fear among residents of villages bordering the Katarniaghat forests, with locals demanding enhanced patrolling, surveillance and immediate measures to prevent further attacks.Divisional Forest Officer Apoorv Dixit said forest teams were investigating both cases and would draw final conclusions after receiving post-mortem reports.“We have received information about both incidents and teams are on the ground. We are awaiting the post-mortem reports before reaching a final conclusion,” Dixit said.He also urged residents living near forests and agricultural fields to exercise caution during the monsoon season, when increased vegetation often brings wild animals closer to human habitations.The latest incidents come amid continuing concerns over human-wildlife conflict in the Katarniaghat region, where villages along forest boundaries frequently report encounters with leopards and other wild animals.
