An elderly woman washing clothes and utensils in the Kharasrota river was dragged away by a saltwater crocodile in Odisha's Jajpur district on Monday.
The body, recovered in a mutilated state on Tuesday, had been partially eaten by the reptile.
The 59-year-old victim, Soudamini Mahal, was attacked around 3pm on Monday. Eyewitnesses said the crocodile suddenly came out from the water, dragged her and swam along the river’s current.
Locals jumped in to rescue her but could not venture deep into the river, fearing other crocodiles. Some bystanders captured the incident on video, which later went viral on social media.
Assistant conservator of forest (Jajpur) Santosh Kumar Pati told The Telegraph: “The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) recovered the body nearly one kilometre from the spot. After the post-mortem, the body was handed over to the family. The family will be given ₹10 lakh as per government norms, out of which ₹1 lakh has already been given. The remaining amount will be provided once the legal heir certificate is submitted.”
Soudamini is survived by her husband, who works as a plumber in Calcutta,
and two sons.
Residents of Jajpur and Kendrapara districts live in constant fear of crocodile attacks. Crocodiles from the Bhitarakanika sanctuary, home to nearly 1,826 of the reptiles, sometimes venture into nearby rivers, creeks and other water bodies, posing a serious threat to locals.
According to an Odisha government report, 27 deaths have occurred in the past 38 months in and around the Bhitarkanika sanctuary.
“Though protective measures, including barricades at 120 river ghats, have been installed, they are insufficient. People need to remain cautious,” an official said.
“With rivers now overflowing, saltwater crocodiles from the sanctuary may enter human settlements. We have seen several attacks in Kendrapara and Jajpur,” added former Congress MLA Ansuman Mohanty.