‘Crocodile drags Odisha woman into river’ in front of helpless daughter

A crocodile allegedly attacked a woman and dragged the victim into the river on Monday in front of her daughter at Paniajora of Koladhia panchayat under Aul police limits of Kendrapara district.

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The incident has shocked locals, as frantic rescue and search operations by villagers and fire services personnel have yielded no result.

13-yr-old daughter helplessly watches

According to sources, in a horrifying incident that unfolded in broad daylight, a woman was dragged into the river by a crocodile while her daughter watched helplessly from the bank.

The victim woman identified as Kajal Mohanty of Tanladiha village, was washing clothes near the riverbank when the crocodile emerged from the water and suddenly pulled her in. Her young (13-year-old) daughter, who was standing nearby, witnessed the shocking scene and rushed to alert nearby villagers and family members to rescue her.

Despite prompt efforts by villagers to locate Kajal, there was no trace of her immediately. As news of the incident spread, fire service personnel arrived at the spot and launched a frantic search operation using boats to thoroughly comb the water.

Local residents are now living in fear and have demanded stricter measures to prevent human-wildlife conflict, especially in areas close to crocodile-inhabited rivers. The forest department is also expected to step in and assess the situation.

“Kajal is a distant relative of mine. She was taking a bath in the river and washing clothes. Her daughter was standing on the bank. A crocodile suddenly appeared from somewhere and dragged her into the river. Her daughter then alerted the locals and a search operation was initiated,” a relative of the victim, Ananda Chandra Mohanty, stated to OTV.

“We, with the help of fire service personnel, searched for her. We looked everywhere, including the Paniajora but, she has not been traced yet,” Ananda Mohanty added.