Maharashtra: Man killed by big cat in Chandrapur; 2nd death this week

Representative image. Pic/Istock

A 40-year-old man was killed by a big cat in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district on Friday, the second such death this week, a forest official said. Big cats have killed 10 persons in the district since January.

An autopsy will confirm if the wild animal was a tiger or leopard, he said.

The official said the man has been identified as Purshottam Bokhe, a resident of Chandrapur city.

Bokhe had entered the forest department's "research area", a restricted zone, adjacent to a wooded patch on his bike in the morning when he was attacked by a big cat, he said.

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"We don't know yet if it was a tiger or leopard. The actual predator can be ascertained only after an autopsy," said Prashant Kale, divisional forest officer.

Kale said the family of the deceased was given an initial compensation of Rs 25,000 to conduct his final rites. The actual relief " Rs 20 lakh " will be released after completion of necessary formalities, he said.

A total of six persons have been killed by big cats in the Saoli range of the district so far this year, with the last attack being reported on April 26. While two of them were attacked by leopards, the rest fell prey to tigers, said a senior forest official.