Authorities in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich are continuing their search for a sixth ‘killer’ wolf, following an attack on a 50-year-old woman, Pushpa Devi, who was severely injured when the wolf attacked her on Wednesday night. The incident took place around 10 p.m. in Raipur Korean Tepra village, located in the Khairighat police station area, while the victim was sleeping. The wolf attacked her by grabbing her throat. Pushpa Devi was initially treated at a local hospital but was later transferred to Bahraich District Hospital due to the severity of her injuries, where she is now undergoing treatment.
Her son-in-law explained, “The attack happened at 10 p.m. while she was asleep. One of the children might have opened the door, and the wolf, which had been hiding, attacked her. It bit her on the throat. Family members and neighbors heard her cries and rushed to her aid, forcing the wolf to flee. Unfortunately, I wasn’t present at the time.”
This incident has further fueled fear among locals in the area. Earlier the same day, an 11-year-old girl was also injured by a wolf attack and was admitted to the local government hospital in Mahasi for treatment.
On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department captured the fifth ‘killer’ wolf as part of “Operation Bhediya,” a mission aimed at apprehending a pack of wolves responsible for recent attacks in 25-30 villages under the Mahsi tehsil in the Bahraich range. The fifth wolf was taken to a rescue shelter, though one wolf still remains at large.
The Forest Department has installed snap cameras in areas suspected to be the wolves’ habitats to monitor their movements and aid in capturing the elusive wolf. Three cameras were also set up in Sikandarpur village around six caves believed by locals to house the wolves. So far, nine people have been killed, and more than 40 have been injured in the wolf attacks across various villages in Bahraich.