A mutilated body of a two-year-old boy was found in a field in the Gadamaar Kalan village of Mahsi tehsil Tuesday morning, possibly dragged there and mauled by an animal, police said.
The forest department said it has captured two jackals with a drone camera.
However, the boy's parents and the villagers claim that the boy was taken away by three wolves while he was asleep in the house.
Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Pratap Singh told reporters, "Last night, between midnight and 1 am, information was received that some animal had taken away a child from Gadamar Kalan village of Mahsi tehsil. A search operation was launched, and the child's body was found in a sugarcane field at 5 am." He said some footprints were seen near the body, which were later concluded to be of a jackal.
A search with a thermal drone following the footprints led to the spotting of two jackals 250-300 metres away, Singh said.
Seven teams have been formed to search for the animal and lead an awareness campaign, he said.
The forest department has advised people to never go out of the house alone and take special care of the children, he said.
Khushboo, mother of Ayush, the child, told reporters that she had seen the wolf taking away her son.
"Last night, as we lay in the verandah of our house, wolves came and took away my child. I saw the wolf. We tried to chase it, but in vain. In the morning, Ayush's body was found in the sugarcane field," she said.
His father, Pramod, said that the wolf ate both his son's hands and one leg.
Gyanendra Singh, chief of the neighbouring village Kothwal Kalan, said Khushboo was at her maternal home when the incident happened.
He said similar incidents happened in the same area last year, too.
"We demand that the forest department and administration pay attention and catch the wolves," he said.
On September 15, 2024, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted an aerial survey of the region and met families of those who lost their lives in the wolf attacks.
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