Man taken away by crocodile

instance of man-crocodile conflict in Odisha's Kendrapara district, a man went missing after being dragged away by a crocodile, official sources said today.

The 42-year-old victim, Brahmananda Behera, an agricultural labourer of Gangadharprasad village was working on a farm yesterday afternoon when the crocodile dragged him into a rivulet linked to the Kharasrota river, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) Forest Division, Manoj Kumar Mahapatra said.

The victim's agricultural implements were found, but the man was missing, he said.

Four mechanised vessels have been pressed into service trace Behera.

Panic has gripped river-side villages on the close periphery of the sanctuary, but forest personnel however said that the people were exposing themselves to attack by venturing into crocodile-infested water bodies.