Patna: A 13-year-old girl has been killed in a tiger attack in a forested area close to the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), sparking fear and anger among residents living along the Bihar–Uttar Pradesh border.
The incident occurred in the Nichlaul forest region, adjoining VTR’s Madanpur range, around 30km from Bagaha in West Champaran district. The victim, identified as Lachiyaa, daughter of Umesh Kannaujia from Marchhawa village, had gone to nearby fields with her elder sister to cut sugarcane on Friday afternoon.
According to her family, the elder sister briefly left to collect firewood for a bonfire. When she returned, Lachiyaa was missing. Despite a search by relatives and villagers using torches and sticks late into the night, no trace of the child was found.
The search resumed early on Saturday morning, when villagers discovered bloodstains and the girl’s footwear leading towards the forest. Her mutilated body was later recovered near the jungle, with both arms missing, confirming a tiger attack.
Police and forest department teams were rushed to the spot, and the body was sent for postmortem examination. Officials said the incident had occurred within the Uttar Pradesh forest jurisdiction, though teams from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar were also deployed to assist in the investigation.
“The information was shared immediately, and forest personnel were sent to the site,” said ranger Naseem Ansari of the Madanpur forest range. “Though the incident falls in Uttar Pradesh, coordination is underway.”
Senior forest officials said monitoring had been intensified in the area following reports of frequent tiger movement. Villagers, however, said the threat had existed for months and accused authorities of failing to ensure their safety. “There is constant fear. People are scared to step outside, even during the day,” said a resident. “The tiger has been roaming near our farms and houses.”
The death has plunged the village into mourning and renewed concerns about human–wildlife conflict in forest-border settlements, where expanding habitats and shrinking buffer zones are pushing wildlife closer to communities.
