Kendrapara: A man was critically injured after a crocodile attacked him at Belapal village of Rajnagar in this district Friday night. The injured has been identified as Kailash Chandra Sethi, a middle-aged man, who had gone to the Brahmani River at 8 pm Friday.
According to reports, the reptile tried to drag Sethi into the river after it caught hold of his right leg.
Sethi somehow managed to escape from the animal’s grip and raised an alarm. Hearing his screams, the local people rushed to the spot and rescued him. Sethi is now undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
Residents alleged that the forest department officials failed to take necessary steps to check the rising menace of crocodile attacks in the locality.
They alleged that crocodiles from the Bhitarkanika sanctuary are straying into several water-bodies regularly, putting human lives at risk.