Crocodile kills Telangana man bathing buffalo in river

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, March 3

In a shocking incident, a crocodile killed a cattle herder on the banks of Manjeera river in the Sangareddy district on Telangana.

The death of 55-year-old Golla Mallaiah, a native of Isojipet in Pulkal Mandal, has led to panic in the area.

DFO K Venkateshwarlu has said that he has deputed his team to enquire about the incident.

He said, “Forest and police officials rushed to the village to enquire into the incident.”

According to villagers, Golla had left early morning with his cattle for their grazing near the river bed. While he was washing one of the buffaloes, a Crocodile attacked him and dragged him into the water. Mallaiah had died by the time other cattle breeders rushed to the location to rescue him.

The presence of other villagers did not deter the reptile from attacking Golla. Panic-struck people brought the body to the village. Later the body was taken to Government Hospital Sangareddy for a post-mortem.

According to locals, the construction of the Manjeera Dam across the river Manjeera has displaced the natural habitat of many crocodiles in the area.

As a result, the government has declared the nearby area restricted and in Sangareddy this area has been declared a wildlife Sanctuary for the mugger crocodiles, making it home for over 500 mugger crocodiles.