Crocodile Drags 8-Year-Old Into Deep Waters, Kills Her in Uttarakhand's Haridwar Forest Division
Dehradun, September 26: An 8-year-old girl was killed by a crocodile on Friday while she was plucking flowers near a small water body in Kudi Baghwanpur village in Uttarakhand's Haridwar. The body of the girl, Radhika, was recovered after several hours of search by local police and forest officials. The body was then sent for autopsy. The deceased hailed from Panditpur village nearby. Crocodile Held 'Hostage' by UP Villagers, Rs 50,000 Sought From Forest Department for Release.
A crocodile attacked Radhika when she along with her sister went near the water body to pluck some flowers. "Her sister said when they went near the water body a crocodile attacked her sister and dragged her into the deep waters," Neeraj Sharma, divisional forest officer (DFO) Haridwar forest division, was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying. The authorities struggled for hours to locate the body of Radhika. Huge Saltwater Crocodile Speedily Swims Alongside Boat Like a Dolphin in Queensland, Scary Video Goes Viral!.
The water body is like a big marsh, with a thick growth of aquatic plants, which made the search challenging, Sharma said. The crocodile bit Radhika on her wrist. "It seems the crocodile dragged her into the water but didn’t eat her. As it is a big marshy water body, around 1.5 km in length, we couldn’t find the crocodile. We will resume our search for the crocodile on Saturday," Gaurav Aggarwal, range officer (RO) Laksar, said.
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The number of crocodiles has increased significantly in Uttarakhand. According to the latest wildlife census released by the state forest department, the number of crocodiles increased from 123 in 2008 to 451 in 2020. The state has two of thee species of crocodiles found in India. They are Mugger Crocodile and Gharial.
