Foresters and police of Maipith coastal area in South 24-Parganas fence an acre of paddy field with nets and set up two cages to catch a royal Bengal tiger hiding there since Tuesday morning.

To capture the tiger, foresters put up fencing around the paddy field and built two cages with a goat inside it as bait.

“Right now, the tiger is inside the net and we are waiting till it comes to catch the goat in the cage. Then, forest officials will rehabilitate the animal at a proper place,” said Madhusudan Pal, the officer-in-charge of Maipith coastal police station area.

In the past few days, a tiger of the Sunderbans in all likelihood has been roaming the villages of Maipith coastal police station areas such as Bhubaneshwari and Debipur.

Villagers, who spotted several pugmarks and heard roars, informed foresters and police.

Foresters initially thought the tiger had come to the villages but disappeared in the core forest area. But they were mistaken. Prabir Mishra, a social worker and resident of Bhubaneshwari village, said: “Finally on Tuesday morning, a farmer saw the animal crossing a field and he quickly informed others. The tiger had taken shelter in the paddy field.”