Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 21 (ANI): A three-year-old boy was dragged away by a wild animal in Gangojhala village of Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district on Saturday, officials said. Despite efforts by locals to save him, the child could not be traced, prompting a massive search operation by the forest department.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav told ANI, “Around 10 am, we received information from Gangojhala village. A woman in a house on the outskirts of the village reported that an animal had taken away her 3-year-old son. Locals said they tried to rescue the child, but were unsuccessful, and the animal managed to carry him away.”
He said that drones have been deployed to scan the nearby sugarcane fields. “Our entire team is now searching the sugarcane fields, and locals are helping in the search, but no trace of the child has been found yet,” he added.
The child’s mother, Anita, told ANI that the attack happened suddenly. 
“Ankesh was eating sugar when the animal came from behind and grabbed his mouth. My daughter and I tried to pull him back, but it dragged him away. He was screaming, but no one came at first. My daughter shouted from the terrace, and people gathered, but by then it had carried him away,” she said.
Kaisarganj MLA Anand Kumar Yadav criticised the administration, calling it a complete failure.
“It’s a failure of the administration. Since September 9, three children have been taken away, and 10-12 people have been injured in such attacks. They’re happening in broad daylight,” he told reporters.
He further said that the forest department’s drone team had failed to identify the animal. “We think it’s a wolf, but it’s unclear whether it’s a fox or a leopard. The forest department’s drone team has completely failed to identify the animal,” he said.
The MLA also demanded that the administration provide compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the boy’s family and Rs 5 lakh each to those injured. “These animals should be caught as soon as possible,” he added. (ANI)
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