Motihari: The Gaunaha police on Thursday sent the remains of a man, suspected to have been killed by a tiger in Valmiki Tiger Reserve in West Champaran, to Muzaffarpur for forensic analysis.

The development came a day after the recovery of human skull, jaw and other remains near Someshwar hill in Govardhana forest area of the reserve, around 290km north of Patna.

Gaunaha police station house officer (SHO) Madhuban Rai said the victim has been identified as Vijay Manjhi (30), a resident of Jagarnathpur village who went missing on Monday.

"Prima facie, it appears that the man was killed by some wild animal and hence an unnatural death case has been registered," said Rai.

"We have sent the remains for the forensic analysis at Muzaffarpur on Thursday itself. Anything precisely can only be said after the forensic report only," Rai added.

However, villagers found the pugmarks of a tiger near the mortal remains. "There is a provision for compensation in case of death caused by wild animals," said a forest officer.

The Valmiki Tiger Reserve has had a history of man-animal conflict in the past.

Four persons - Dilmaya Devi, Pramod Singh, Dharaj Mahato and Rameshwar - were killed in tiger attacks in recent years.

In 2016, a five-year-old girl was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Bhikhnatori.