Crocodile Drags 50-Year-Old Cattle Herder Into River, Victim's Body Found

In a horrific incident, a crocodile in India dragged a man into a river while he was herding cattle Wednesday.

The incident took place in the western state of Gujarat. People who live nearby told news outlet the Times of India the 50-year-old victim was standing alone near the river with his cattle when the crocodile leaped out of the water and dragged him inside. The police were informed about the incident and forest officials arrived at the scene.

According to a regional news website, after two hours of search the police found the body of the victim (Google translation showed).

“Two persons who were at the spot saw the crocodile dragging the man into the river and informed the villagers. Locals later informed the forest department about the incident. We have already launched the search operation,” an official told the Times of India.

Authorities said an investigation is underway into the incident, and that the body of the victim was sent for an autopsy.

In a similar incident in December 2020, a crocodile mauled a 10-year-old boy while he was drinking water from a river. The incident occurred in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The victim was herding cattle along with six other children, and had gone near the river to drink some water after having lunch. A crocodile suddenly leaped out of the water, attacked the child, and dragged him into the river. A search was launched for the boy after the other children informed the authorities. After two days, the boy's torso was found on the shore of the river.

In another incident in Gujarat in November 2020, a 15-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a crocodile while she was washing dishes on a riverbank. "The reptile dragged the teenager deep in water. Her body was recovered hours later," Dushyant Vasavada, Chief Conservator of Forests of Junagadh Wildlife Circle said, at the time. Authorities said at the time they were trying to locate the crocodile suspected to have been involved in the attack.