Mysterious death of woman in forest sparks debate on man-animal conflict, cops claim leopard kill

Nagpur: An unexplained death earlier this week in the dense forests of Sonegaon-Dhanegaon Angal in the Tumsar Hardoli range in Bhandara district has foxed investigators — Was it a wild animal attack or a homicide?A probe into the death of 54-year-old Sadhana Uike has witnessed a seesaw swing from tiger-mauling to full-fledged murder, with forest officials and police pushing different angles.SP Bhandara Noorul Hasan, along with his team, spent a couple of hours investigating the murder site this week. "The body was dragged for nearly 3km, which is typical of a leopard. The animal ended up dropping the body in a sinkhole dug for mining agencies. We feel the leopard was trying to scale the big tree near the sinkhole with the body before losing grip," said Hasan, adding there was no motive behind the murder as the woman was from an economically weak family and there was no love angle or property dispute. "Leopard kills are common in the area," said Hasan.While some feel the woman's death was meticulously planned, the cops are stressing it's a leopard kill.This is the second such confusion about a human's death in a man-animal conflict zone in Vidarbha after a man killed his father in Gadchiroli and tried to project it as a tiger kill. On April 17, Sadhana, a resident of Dhanegaon, went into the forest to collect mahua flowers and went missing. Her body was later recovered from a 15-foot-deep ravine.While forensic experts have reserved the cause of death, police investigation pointed to deep puncture wounds and claw marks on both sides of the neck. As in typical wild animal attacks, drag marks from the predator pulling its prey are visible on the ground, said senior inspector Vijay Kasodhan of Siroha police station.Adding to the mystery, the body showed rubbing marks, but there were no injuries on the feet or heels — something unusual if the woman was dragged by a predator through rough terrain.Teams of police and forest officials are conducting a thorough investigation, collecting forensic evidence, examining flattened ground marks and questioning locals.Police officials are also probing possible motives, including personal enmity or land-related disputes common in forest-fringe villages.The incident once again highlighted the vulnerabilities of people living near forests and the challenges in distinguishing between wildlife conflicts and criminal acts disguised as animal attacks, said a wildlife expert, adding forensic analysis and technical evidence will reveal the truth.
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