The pugmarks of a tiger were spotted in Purulia district of West Bengal, throwing the administration into a tizzy nearly a month after a big cat crossed into neighbouring Jharkhand from the district's Bandwan range, a senior forest officer said on Tuesday.

The pugmarks of the full-grown Royal Bengal Tiger were spotted in the forested, hilly stretch covering Raika Hills and Manbazar pockets three days ago but it has not been sighted so far, Chief Conservator of Forests S Kulandaivel told PTI.

The forest department cannot conclusively say whether the animal has again crossed back to Jharkhand in the past three days or is in the hilly jungles of Purulia, Kulandaivel said.

"It might have either retreated into the jungles of Purulia, or gone towards the Dalma forest range in Jharkhand. Till the tiger is spotted, there is no way of confirming its presence," the senior forest official said.

He said cameras were installed in the entire belt and forest department personnel were keeping vigil.

A male tiger had crossed into West Bengal from Jharkhand on January 12. It returned to the Dalma forest range in Jharkhand on January 19-20 and again crossed over into the Junglemahal region, comprising Jhargram, Purulia, Paschim Medinipur and Bankura districts, on January 24.

"The animal had moved to the Jharkhand from Purulia three to four days after crossing into West Bengal but headed back to West Bengal on January 24. It again crossed over to the jungles of Jharkhand early in February, Thereafter, there was no news of the tiger. Now, the pugmarks of a tiger are being spotted again in Purulia but it is yet to be ascertained whether it is the same tiger or not," another forest officer said.

In December, last year, a tigress named Zeenat had strayed into West Bengal from Odisha via Jharkhand and was caught after 21 days of pursuit by forest personnel.

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