Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh: Even as officials have caught four wolves in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich under 'Operation Bhediya', locals in the area, who claims to have been attacked by wolves narrate the story of the horrifying attack.
The wolves have killed eight people in the area. So far four wolves have been caught and search for two more is underway. Seven children and a woman have been killed in wolf attacks in Bahraich in the past two months.
A man and a child suffered animal attack in Bahraich. Injured people claimed it to be a wolf attack.
A relative of the injured child told ANI, "I am the child's uncle. He was attacked by the wolf at around 1:30 am. When we screamed then the wolf left him and went away. We chased it but it went into sugarcane fields. It was a wolf. There is its footprint in the house."
A man who claimed to have been attacked by an animal said, "At 4 in the morning an animal attacked me. He attacked my neck with its jaws. It was bigger than a jackal. I was not able to identify the animal. I got nervous at that moment. So I am not sure which animal it was. If I would not have caught his mouth, he would have killed me."
Mahasi Civil Health Centre Incharge, Dr Ashish Verma told ANI that whether it was a wolf attack or not, the matter is of investigation for the forest department.
"There are minor injuries on both people. One came at 2 am and another person came at 5 in the morning. They are not in any critical situation. The patient has claimed that it is a wolf attack. However, it is a matter of investigation for the Forest Department," Dr Verma said.
Notably, officials said on Sunday that they have detected the presence of two wolves through drones and will capture them by today or tomorrow.
Abhishek Singh, CO Forest, Bahraich Division told ANI, "Our whole team is going to be here in the guidance of DFO. We detected the presence of wolves through drones. Both wolves have been traced in this area. We will capture it by today or tomorrow."
Earlier on Saturday, the forest department team laid traps at Sisayya Chudaamani village from where the fourth wolf was captured on Thursday.
In the wake of recent wolf attack incidents, the forest department is bursting firecrackers at night to protect the villagers from wolves.
Speaking on the wolf attacks, Circle Officer of Mahasi, Rupendra Gaur, said, "Drones, nets and cages are being used to catch the wolves. We are continuously trying to catch the wolves...We are ensuring that no untoward incident takes place anywhere. Eight people have lost their lives and 15 others are injured."
Giving details about the incident earlier, MLA Sureshwar Singh said, "Wolf scare began in Bahraich district and its Mahasi Assembly constituency from 17th July 2024. Since then 8 deaths have been reported and 20 people have been injured. Work is underway to catch those wolves...Electricity is being ensured in identified areas where there is no power supply...We are also setting up doors at houses where incidents have occurred...I am carrying a rifle to boost the morale of the people."
Earlier on Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department deployed an infrared (IR) drone in which the presence of two wolves was noticed in Bahraich.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)