KOLKATA: The residents of Bhubaneshwari Gour Chowk under Maipith Coastal Police Station in Kultali were gripped by a sense of fear after pugmarks were spotted on Saturday on the banks of the river.
The villagers immediately informed the state Forest department whose officials rushed to the spot and netted the entire area to prevent the tiger from entering the village.
“A team led by ADFO was immediately sent to the spot from where we received information about the pugmarks. We have already barricaded the area as a preventive measure and have launched search operations manually as well as through drones.
Apparently, the pugmarks are two days old. We are not sure whether the tiger has returned to the forest or is still inhabiting the area. Our officials are on alert and are keeping a close watch.
The villagers do not need to panic as all measures for their safety have been taken,” Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), South 24-Parganas, Milan Kanti Mandal said.
A villager said that there have been earlier instances of tigers straying into human habitat during winter. They have also started to guard the place by using sticks.