Woman killed in tiger attack while collecting firewood near forest in UP's Bahraich

LUCKNOW: A 48-year-old woman was killed in a suspected tiger attack in Bahraich district on Monday while she was reportedly heading towards a forest area to collect firewood, officials said.The incident took place in Amritpur village under Murtiha Kotwali area, around 75 km from the district headquarters. The victim, identified as Rita Gautam, had left her home at around 9.30 am and was walking towards the forest when the tiger allegedly emerged from the jungle and attacked her nearly one kilometre away from the village.According to residents, the village is located along the forest edge and wildlife movement in the area has increased in recent weeks. Hearing the woman’s screams, villagers rushed to the spot carrying sticks and raising an alarm, following which the tiger fled back into the forest.However, Rita sustained severe injuries to her neck, cheeks and head and died on the spot before she could be taken to hospital. Villagers claimed tiger pugmarks were found near the site, while roaring sounds were also heard from inside the forest area.The victim is survived by her husband, Subhash, a daily wage labourer, and their four daughters. Family members reached the spot after being informed by villagers.Police and forest department teams later arrived at the scene and sent the body for postmortem examination.Villagers have demanded immediate action from the forest department, including trapping the tiger and increasing security measures in forest-fringe villages, citing rising fear due to repeated movement of wild animals near human settlements.DFO, Katarniaghat, Apoorv Dixit, confirmed the incident and said the woman appeared to have died in a tiger attack and added that she was collecting firewood’s from inside the jungle. He urged residents to remain cautious, especially during the summer months when wild animals tend to become more aggressive.