The fear of a fresh tiger attack has gripped Deulbari village in Kultali, South 24-Parganas, since Saturday evening after villagers spotted pugmarks along the banks of the Matla and Nakdi rivers.
Villagers reportedly have sighted a royal Bengal tiger entering local paddy fields.
Forest officials have been alerted and villagers have launched night surveillance.
However, on Sunday evening, senior forest officials claimed that the tiger had most likely returned to the jungle — a claim that failed to fully convince the villagers.
News of the tiger’s presence in the paddy fields spread rapidly, prompting immediate night surveillance by the villagers.
Police and forest department officials rushed to the area to coordinate safety measures.
The police administration issued alerts urging residents to stay indoors and avoid venturing out at night.
Forest officials and guards arrived with nets, boats and other necessary equipment to prevent any possible man-animal conflict. An additional divisional forest officer is monitoring the situation on the ground.
Forest department personnel and the police have been conducting operations since nightfall to locate and capture the tiger.
Although a cage was set up as a trap, the animal has not been spotted.
Fear remains high among the locals, and precautionary measures, including fencing multiple areas with nets, began on Sunday to prevent the tiger from re-entering residential zones.
Search operations resumed on Sunday morning.
Forest workers surrounded nearly 10 bighas of land with nets.
Later, additional tiger footprints were found a short distance away, prompting intensified monitoring. However, the animal remained elusive. Forest officials believe the tiger may have crossed the river back into the forest after the tide rose.
Kultali has witnessed multiple tiger intrusions over the past few months.
Some of these tigers have been captured, while others have left the area on their own.
Rajani Biswas, a villager, expressed his frustration, saying: “The infiltration of tigers from the Sundarbans has become a regular affair in Kultali, making our lives miserable. We live in constant fear, as the animal silently sneaks into villages and attacks. This keeps happening repeatedly.”
On Sunday evening, after scanning footprints near the Matla River, some officials claimed that the tiger had likely returned to the forest after spreading panic in Kultali for nearly 24 hours.
Divisional forest officer of South 24-Parganas Nisha Goswami told The Telegraph: "Our officials are monitoring the movement of the tiger and we have confirmed information that the tiger has returned to the forest."
"Our team will be posted there for night surveillance even though we are sure that the tiger is no more there. We are hopeful there is no threat anymore," she said.
Villagers, however, remained cautious. Most people said they were not convinced without more proof.