A fisherman was killed by a tiger in the Pirkhali forest area of the Sunderbans when he was catching crabs early on Monday.
Police and local sources said the victim, Samad Mollah, 31, died in the tiger attack when he was catching crabs in Chilamari Khal, a creek in the delta.
His two companions, Subhas Mistry and Gopal Sarkar, told the police that the tiger had jumped on the boat from the bank.
“We tried hard to resist the animal but it mauled Samad on the neck and the shoulder. The tiger did eventually flee but by then Samad had bled to death,” Mistry said.
On Monday afternoon, the duo returned to Gosaba with the body of Samad.
At least 30 villagers have been killed by tigers in the Sunderbans in the past 15 months, an official of the state wildlife department said.
Forest officials, however, blamed the villagers and fishermen for inviting their deaths by entering deep inside jungles, the natural habitat of the tiger, despite strict prohibition on entry.
Villagers, however, said they had no other option but to risk their lives by entering jungles to catch crabs and fish because of lack of viable sources of income following the pandemic.