Lucknow: A 55-year-old woman was killed in a crocodile attack while returning home from a wedding in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Villagers retrieved her body after spotting it clamped in the reptile’s jaws nearly 15 hours later.The incident took place in the Mohkampurwa police station area, around 110 km from the district headquarters.According to police and family members, Ketki (55), wife of Ramesh and resident of Chafariya gram panchayat, left home around 6 pm on Saturday to attend her niece’s wedding in neighbouring Hazaripurwa village, about 600 metres away. She did not return home after the ceremony, prompting her family to launch a search.At around 9 am on Sunday, villagers near Rampurwa spotted a crocodile holding a woman’s body in its jaws in the Saryu river, about 3 km from her home. Residents gathered at the spot, shouted and pelted stones at the crocodile, forcing it to release the body before retreating into the river.Several villagers, including the village head’s representative, entered the river at considerable risk and retrieved the body.By the time the body was recovered, the crocodile had reportedly devoured both of the woman’s legs, while deep bite marks were visible on her face and other parts of her body.Family members suspect Ketki was attacked while crossing a bridge over the Saryu on her way back from the wedding.Police reached the spot, sent the body for post mortem and launched investigation into the sequence of events.SHO Prakash Chandra Sharma urged people to avoid venturing near the Saryu and other crocodile-infested areas unless absolutely necessary, especially during the monsoon when crocodile sightings increase.Ketki is survived by her husband and four sons, all of whom rushed home on learning about the tragedy.
