A 50-year-old woman was allegedly killed by a salt-water crocodile in Odisha's Kendrapara district, a forest official said on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Manjulata Bhanj. The body of Manjulata, who reportedly had gone missing after being dragged away by a crocodile in the Brahmani River while she was washing utensils. Her body was found in the river on Tuesday morning, the officials said.
The incident took place on Monday evening at the river ghat in Alapuadia village under Pattamundai police station jurisdiction.
"We got information about the incident last evening and informed the fire service officials, who immediately launched a search operation. We found her body this morning and suspect that she was killed in a crocodile attack," the forest official said.
The deceased's family will be covered under the Rs 6 lakh compensation award as per the government's scheme to compensate for the death due to protected wild animals, the officials said.
Lethal assault by reptiles and consequent retaliatory attack by humans has become a regular feature in Kendrapara district.
Most often, the mishaps occur when the victims intrude into the animal’s habitat, for illegal fishing, poaching, fuel wood collection and honey collection.
The conflict and consequent loss of human lives are most frequently recorded during the monsoon and winter months, the nesting season of the estuarine crocodiles.
The salt-water crocodile population in Bhitarkanika has increased manifold from 96 in 1975 to 1,811 in 2024.
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