A 25-year-old man went missing after being attacked by a crocodile in this district, official sources said today.
Biswanath Rout (25), a daily wage earner in Santhapada village, was taking a bath near a ferry ghat of Brahmani river yesterday when a crocodile dragged him into deep waters.
"The crocodile took away Rout from the bathing ghat. Villagers found his clothes and footwear lying nearby," Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rajnagar Mangrove Forest Division (Wildlife), Manoj Kumar Mahapatra said.
Four mechanised vessels have been pressed into service to search for Rout.
Seven people have fallen prey to crocodiles in recent months and three reptiles have been killed by villagers after the creatures were entangled in fishing nets.
Panic has gripped the riverside villages, on the close periphery of a sanctuary, as the locals feel that the reptiles are straying into waters near human settlements.
Forest personnel are of the view that people are exposing themselves to attacks by venturing into croc-infested water bodies.
