Meerut villages on edge as mystery animal kills 3

The first case of the attacks was reported on August 27 when the body of 46-year-old Kusum,a resident of Narangpur village,was found in the fields. Her hair and skin of her head was pulled apart and legs and hands eaten by the animal. First the villagers thought it to be a case of murder and a complaint was lodged with the local police station. Initially,Parikshitgarh Station Officer Omveer Singh said,it seemed that the woman could have been eaten by the animals after she was killed. But after similar incidents reported in the area,we did not arrest anyone,he added. A similar incident was reported on September 2 from Agwanpur.

The latest attack happened on Saturday when villagers found a half-eaten body of 45-year-old Rajkumari nearby Agwanpur village. Her body,which bore the same marks as Kusum,has been sent for a post mortem. In the two earlier two cases,the cause of death could not be ascertained through postmortem.

The area where these incidents have been taking place is about four km away from Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary. According to forest officials,the area has a large number of cane fields and orchards. The only one who has survived the attack is 55-year-old Veermati,a resident of Neemka village,who was attacked on Tuesday. She escaped as the animal ran away after hearing some villagers approaching the field where she had gone to cut grass. She is currently admitted to a hospital in Meerut.

Villagers have formed several teams with about 10 men in each one of them to guard the village in the night. Experts from Wildlife Trust of India have also been called and they are scouting the forest to identify the animal.