Lucknow: A 12-year-old boy was killed in a crocodile attack in UP’s Bahraich after the reptile dragged him into the Ghaghara river while he was washing his hands and feet following work in a paddy field.The incident occurred on Thursday evening in Baundi area. The boy’s mutilated body was recovered five hours later after a search by villagers along the riverbank.Police said a video purportedly showing parts of the attack and went viral on social media. Station house officer TN Maurya said the video was authentic.According to local residents, the child, Sunil from Tikuri village, had gone to transplant paddy with his uncle, Vijay Raj Singh, on Thursday afternoon. After working for about three to four hours, they stopped at the river around 6pm before heading home.Eyewitnesses said the crocodile suddenly emerged at the riverbank, clamped its jaws around the boy’s leg and began pulling him into the water. The boy screamed and struggled as the reptile dragged him away.Villagers said the uncle raised an alarm and rushed into the river to try to save the child. Farmers from nearby fields also ran to the spot after hearing the cries. Several people began pelting the crocodile with bricks and stones in an attempt to force it to release the boy, but it continued to pull him into the river, repeatedly tossing him in the water before moving toward deeper currents.“I jumped into the river and managed to grab his hand. I remained in the river for nearly seven minutes trying to pull him back,” Singh said. “But the crocodile was much stronger and dragged him into deeper waters. I could not save him.”After the crocodile disappeared with the boy, hundreds of villagers gathered and searched the river using long bamboo poles and flashlights as night fell. Due to the strong current, they scanned a stretch of around 500 metres downstream. The body was recovered at about 10 pm, floating roughly 300 metres from the spot where the child was taken, villagers said.Forest ranger Saqib Ansari said the crocodile had partially devoured the body. “The victim’s right leg and the portion below the waist had been eaten,” he said. Police sent the body for post-mortem examination.Residents said Sunil had been living with his uncle after his parents died several years ago. He is survived by an elder sister, a younger brother and a younger sister.Sub-divisional magistrate Prakash Singh said the family would receive ₹4 lakh as compensation under a govt relief scheme. Villagers have demanded stronger safety measures and regular monitoring along the river, citing another fatal crocodile attack in the district reported about two weeks ago.
