Forest authorities have sounded a red alert for 36 villages in Madhya Padesh's Raisen district as a tiger is on the prowl after killing a 62-year-old man in the region close to the capital Bhopal, an official said on Saturday.

The half-eaten body of the victim, Maniram Jatav, a resident of Neemkheda village, was found on Wednesday in the east range of the Raisen forest division, about 35 km from Bhopal district headquarters, the official said.

The big cat was seen moving around and changing its location frequently, he said.

The attack has caused panic among villages as such killings are unheard of in the forested areas around Bhopal.

"We are monitoring the movements of the big cat. A red alert was sounded on Friday for 36 villages spread over 150 sq km. People have been asked not to venture into the forests till the animal is captured and the forest department intimates them," Raisen divisional forest officer (DFO) Vijay Kumar told PTI.

The red alert is issued when there is a threat to human life by a wild animal, he said.

At least 100 people, including forest officials and volunteers from the NGOs, Wildlife Conservation Trust and Tinsa Foundation, are monitoring the tiger's locations, he said.

There are 100 cameras installed in the area. Teams on foot and in vehicles and people in a control room are analysing the footage to figure out the tiger's next move, the DFO said.

Tiger sightings were not new in the forests of the 36 villages, and such movements have been noticed in the region since 2017, he said.

"We believe the big cat entered the area from Mhow in Indore," he said.

Following the attack, residents of Neemkheda village are not stepping out of their houses alone or without a stick.

The DFO said a post-mortem confirmed that the deceased was killed by a tiger.

The victim had ventured into the forest to pluck tendu leaves used in beedis, he added.

Speaking on behalf of his wife, Pooja Jatav, who is the sarpanch of Neemkheda village, Purshottam Jatav said people in the area were not venturing out at night.

"About three months ago, a tiger killed some cattle in our village. We informed the forest officials and they promptly provided compensation," he said.

According to forest officials, the killer tiger might have ventured out of Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary in the Obaidullahganj forest division of Raisen.

Ratpani was home to more than 60 big cats.

Since the Raisen district covers a large forest area, it is divided into the Raisen and Obaidullahganj forest divisions.

Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of 785 tigers in India, according to the latest official big cats count released last year.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.