Sitapur,

30 Aug (HS): The death of a 50-year-old farmer in this village is

shrouded in mystery, with residents believing that he was mauled to death by a

tiger despite the fact that no signs of a tiger assault were detected on the

body, police said on Saturday. According to the police, the incident occurred

on Friday evening in Basara village, Sitapur district.

Locals reported them that Rakesh Verma, a farmer, was working in his field when

a tiger emerged from the woods and struck him from behind, killing him

instantly.

Farmers from adjacent fields ran to his aid after hearing his screams, but the

tiger took his body away. However, as they continued to make noise, the tiger

abandoned the body and escaped, and the police were notified.

When authorities

from the forest department and the local administration team learned of the

occurrence, they went to the scene, inspected the corpse, and submitted it for

post-mortem.

Meanwhile, Sitapur Divisional Forest Officer Naveen Khandelwal stated that

there are no visible signs of a tiger assault on the corpse or tiger tracks at

the spot.

A forest department team has collected the requisite samples and information

from the scene, and an inquiry is underway, Khandelwal said, adding that more

clarity will emerge once the findings are received.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi