Kolkata: The Royal Bengal tiger that has been on the prowl in the forests spreading over the three districts in the Western part of the state for over a month giving sleepless nights to the forest department officials and the villagers once again injured three villagers in Baghghora jungle in West Midnapore on Friday afternoon.
This time it was a near miss for the state forest department officials after some villagers who went inside the forest to collect minor forest produce, spotted the tiger inside a pit in the forest.
These villagers claimed that they spread a over-sized net over the tiger and immediately reported the matter to the forest department officials.
The big cat once again evaded capture. After being informed, officers from the Kotwali police station and a team of 15 divisional forest officers led by District Forest Officer (DFO) Rabindranath Saha rushed to the spot and begun a combing operation in the area.
The forest department officials along with tranquilizing team left for the spot with the various equipment.
Local villagers told the police and forest officials that there was a culvert at the one side of the pit where the tiger was present for some time. The villagers managed the spread the net over it.
But the powerful Royal Bengal tore the net, jumped out of the pit and fled the spot by the time forest department officials arrived at the spot.
According to local sources, the tranquilizing team was just preparing themselves with the tools to tranquilize the animal but they failed to capture it.
The forest department officials are keeping an eye on the area. The people living in the adjoining villages have been alerted not to venture into the forest. According to police, three persons who went into the forest on Friday morning were attacked by the tiger.
They are Nanadalal Soren, Panda Murmu and Sudan Soren who have received serious injuries and they have been undergoing treatment at Midnapore Medical College and Hospital.
According to a senior official of the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital, all three were brought to this hospital around 3.45 PM. The health condition of Sudan Soren is serious. He received severe neck and head injuries while trying to save himself from the animal. The other two villagers received injuries on back, arms and chest.