Bahraich:

Amid fears of wolf attack, villagers in Mahsi area attacked and killed a dog after it allegedly attacked three villagers.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ajit Pratap Singh told reporters on Friday evening that forest workers reached the spot on Thursday around 9.30 pm after receiving news of an animal attack on Sangam Lal, son of local resident Maikoolal, in Majra Lodhanpurwa of village Yadavpur in Mahsi tehsil area.

The villagers said it was a wolf attack but the forest workers did not find any footprints of the wolf, he said.

The DFO said on Friday morning again, information was received from the same village that an animal had attacked Kriparam (65) and his grandson Satyam (four). After the attack, the villagers beat the animal to death with sticks thinking it to be a wolf.

When forest workers arrived, the dead animal turned out to be a dog. There were no footprints of the wolf in the village. Injured Kriparam also said on seeing the dead dog that the same animal had attacked, he said, adding the injured are undergoing treatment.

Wolf attacks have been taking place on people in Mahsi tehsil area of Bahraich since March. The attacks increased during the rainy season.

From July till Monday, a total of eight people including seven children have died in these attacks. About three dozen people including women, children and elderly have been injured. About 20 of these people are seriously injured.

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