Huge Crocodile Mauls Cattle Herder To Death, Drags Body Under Water

A huge crocodile attacked and killed a cattle herder Sunday, while he was standing along the banks of a river in India.

The incident took place near the river Narmada in the western state of Gujarat. Local media reports identified the victim as 52-year-old Ramji Rabari. The victim, a resident of Limodara village, was grazing his cattle alongside the river when the crocodile pounced on him.

A fellow villager, Rajubhai Rabari, who had accompanied Ramji said he was nearby when he spotted the huge reptile attacking the victim.

Rajubhai rushed to alert the other villagers, but by the time they reached the site, they could not spot the crocodile. According to The Indian Express, the crocodile dragged the victim under the water after killing him.

Villagers launched a search in boats and found Ramji's body nearly two hours later.

The forest department was notified and an investigation was launched into the incident, The Times of India reported.

“Ramji’s death occurred due to severe injuries and blood loss... We have installed notice boards, requesting people to be alert and to not go near the water. We will again start a drive to create awareness among the people. There are 16 villages that falls on the banks of the Narmada river," Netrang Range forest officer in-charge Sarfaraz Ganchi told local media.

The officer said the victim's family will be given a compensation money of nearly $5,400.

Rajubhai Ahir, a resident of Ladwavad, said, “Crocodiles are regularly spotted on the river bank and in the water by villagers... Ramji was unaware about the presence of crocodiles in the river and might not have read the notice board.”

Crocodiles are found in abundance in Gujarat and their numbers have increased over the last few years. However, there haven't been many crocodile attack reports from the state.

In June, two crocodiles were caught on camera trying to bite a dead man’s body into pieces in Narmada river in Vadodara district. On the day of the incident, some fishermen had spotted two crocodiles pulling something in the river. When they tried to get a closer look, they were shocked to see that the reptiles were holding a human body in their jaws. The police and forest officials later arrived and retrieved the body of the man, The Times of India reported at the time.