Gadchiroli/Chandrapur: A woman and an elderly man were killed in tiger attacks in two separate incidents in Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.
In the first incident, a woman was killed on the spot by a tiger while she was working in a cotton field on Sunday morning. The woman’s name is Sushma Devdas Mandal (50), a resident of village Chintalpeth in Aheri taluka. This is the second incident in the last three days where a woman has been killed by a tiger.
According to the information received, the said woman is a resident of Mathuranagar in Mulchera taluka and was settled in Chintalpeth for the past 15 to 20 years. She has a grocery shop at home and also has a farm in this village. Meanwhile, while plucking cotton in the field on Sunday morning, a tiger suddenly attacked her in which she was killed on the spot.
On getting information about this incident, Aarti Madavi, Range Forest Officer of Aheri reached the spot with her team and conducted the panchanama. Tiger attacks have increased in Gadchiroli district and recently on January 3, Mangalabai Vitthal Bode, a woman, was killed in a tiger attack at Wakdi in Gadchiroli taluka. While tigers and wild elephants are rampant in the northern part of the district, tiger attacks have now increased in the southern part. There has been panic among the people due to these growing incidents of tiger attacks. The citizens of the area are demanding that the Forest Department should take immediate steps to cage the tigers.
In another incident, a senior citizen from Ballarshah tehsil was killed in a tiger attack on Sunday afternoon. The unfortunate incident took place in Ballarshah Range of Central Chanda Division. The deceased, identified as Shyamrao Thidsurwar (63), had gone into the jungle on a cycle on Saturday afternoon to collect firewood and was then attacked. However, the body was found about 4km from the forest boundary at compartment No-492 under Ballarshah range of Central Chanda division. The body was sent for postmortem to the rural hospital and further investigation is going on.
The Forest Department has given Rs 25,000 as immediate assistance to the family of the victim. The camera traps have been installed at the site and PRT have been activated to monitor the wild animals in the village, informed a senior forest officer of Central Chanda Division.
