12-Year-Old Boy Killed in Crocodile Attack While Washing Hands in UP’s Bahraich

Bahraich, Jul 18: A 12-year-old boy was killed in a crocodile attack after the reptile dragged him into the Ghaghara River while he was washing his hands and feet with his uncle in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. The victim, identified as Sunil, had accompanied his uncle to paddy fields on Thursday. After finishing work, the two stopped at the riverbank to wash before returning home when the crocodile suddenly emerged from the water and attacked the boy. Recalling the horrifying incident, Sunil’s uncle, Uday Raj Singh, said he was standing only a few metres away when the crocodile clamped its jaws around the child. “The crocodile had grabbed my nephew. My brother jumped into the river and tried to pull him back, but the crocodile kept dragging him deeper into the water. We could only watch helplessly as it disappeared,” he said. Hearing the family’s cries for help, villagers rushed to the spot and pelted stones and bricks into the river in an attempt to force the crocodile to release the boy. However, the reptile remained underwater with the child for nearly three hours. According to eyewitnesses, the crocodile resurfaced around 7:30 pm, still holding the boy’s body in its jaws before disappearing again. Police, Forest Department and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, who had reached the spot, launched a search operation with the help of local residents. The body was eventually recovered using a fishing net. Sunil’s body was sent for a post-mortem examination before being handed over to the family for the last rites. The tragedy has left the village in mourning. Family members said Sunil had already lost both his parents—his mother died seven years ago and his father five years ago due to illness. He had been living with his uncle along with his three siblings. Authorities have advised residents to exercise caution near the Ghaghara River as monitoring of the area continues following the fatal crocodile attack.