A tiger at the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran district of Bihar took away a 12-year-old girl in her sleep in the dead of the night and killed her, claiming its seventh victim in three months.

Four of those deaths have occurred in the past month.

Bagri Kumari of Singahi village on the fringes of the 900sqkm national park was sleeping at her home when the Royal Bengal Tiger arrived around 1am amid heavy rain, tore the mosquito net and dragged her away. Her body was found in a sugarcane field nearby.

The tiger has been frequenting villages in Harnatand, Dumri, Raghia and Chiutaha areas around the tiger reserve 280km northwest of Patna. It has been entering sugarcane fields and bushes and raiding villages at will. It has also injured several people and attacked cattle.

Efforts over the past month to capture the tiger have drawn a blank. Over 500 forest officials have been deployed to capture it.

Based on pictures from camera traps installed in the jungle, forest officials have concluded that the tiger has suffered injuries, probably in a fight with another big cat. They are also investigating whether one or multiple tigers are behind the attacks.

Additional principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Prabhat Kumar Gupta said his department was examining evidence to see if the tiger could be designated as a “man-eater”.

“We are taking a closer look at the tiger’s behaviour to decide whether to declare it a man-eater…. There have been instances where it has avoided cattle tied outside houses and preferred attacking humans. It is avoiding being lured by baits being placed by our officials,” Gupta said.

If designated a man-eater, the tiger could be shot dead, he added.