After two deaths in 14 days, Sitapur tiger remains elusive | Lucknow News
Lucknow: A tiger has been on the prowl in Maholi area for the past 14 days, killing two people and leading to panic in nearly a dozen villages of Sitapur district. Forest department officials, however, have not yet confirmed the presence of a tiger in the area.Despite round-the-clock combing operations by the forest department and experts from Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, the big cat remains untraceable, forcing officials to relocate cages and place bait at new spots.The tiger first struck in Narni village on Aug 22, killing a 24-year-old man, Saurabh Dixit, who had gone to his fields to fetch fodder. On Aug 29, a farmer, Rakesh Kumar (50), allegedly died of a heart attack after suddenly encountering the predator in Basara.The incidents have left villagers terrified. Many have stopped going to farms, children are not attending school, and marketplaces wear a deserted look. Divisional forest officer (DFO), Sitapur, Naveen Khandelwal said that heavy rain had created marshy conditions in the area, hampering the operation. “Fifteen trap cameras, thermal scanners, and multiple cages with goats as baits have been deployed. A 40-member expert team is stationed on site. Yet, the wild animal has not been photographed even once,” he said.On Thursday, forest teams conducted intensive combing in Narni, Baley, and adjoining areas but failed to sight the animal. Awareness drives, village chaupals, and WTI’s Aapka Prahari campaign are being run to sensitise villagers on safety.In a parallel development, leopard sightings have been reported just 2.5km from Sitapur. At Lodhaura village in Ramkot, residents filmed a leopard near a mill on Wednesday night. A combing operation was carried out, and a cage was installed near Besauli to capture it.Fear in Maholi is palpable. Villagers recount chilling encounters. A 15-year-old boy, Vishal of Narni, recounted that he froze when the tiger stared directly at him. In Mirzapur, a cow was attacked in its pen. Saurabh Dixit’s father, Guddu, who met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath demanding swift action, said: “My son is no more. The tiger must be captured before it takes more lives.”Experts point out that four dense forest patches surrounding Maholi — Amliya Ghat, Belhaiya, Mahewa, and Chirag Ali — serve as tiger corridors. During the sugarcane season, when crops grow tall, tigers often move closer to villages. With stray cattle populations dwindling due to repeated predation, the tiger has now turned to livestock and humans.For villagers across Narni, Mirzapur, Rustam Nagar, Kolhaura, and Pasigawan, life has come to a standstill. “Even in daytime, the roads are deserted. No one dares step out alone,” said 70-year-old Mishrilal.Forest department officials have urged villagers to move in groups.
