A horrifying incident has shaken the outskirts of Nagpur, where an eight-month-old infant girl was found mauled to death in a suspected wild animal attack in the early hours of Saturday. The child, who was sleeping between her parents in their makeshift shanty, mysteriously vanished before being discovered barely 30 metres away.
A Night of Unimaginable Horror
The victim has been identified as Anushka Medha. Her family, hailing from Madhya Pradesh, are migrant labourers living in a temporary hut near the New Narsala crematorium in the Hudkeshwar police station limits. Her father, 25-year-old Ravi Medha, is part of a workforce engaged in sewer line construction in the area.
The family, along with around 20-25 other labourer families, reside in shanties erected by their contractor near a nullah. According to police, the area is well-lit but is surrounded by open fields and tall grass. The tragedy unfolded when the family went to sleep around midnight. At approximately 2 am, Ravi woke up to find his daughter missing from their side.
The Search and Grisly Discovery
In a state of panic, Ravi immediately dialled the emergency number 112. A team from Hudkeshwar police station, including PSI Nakate, rushed to the spot and launched an intensive search operation. After nearly two hours of searching, the mutilated body of the infant was discovered in nearby bushes, a short distance from the family's hut.
The scene was gruesome. The upper part of Anushka's body from the neck was devoured, and both her arms were missing. Preliminary investigations by the police strongly suggest the attack was carried out by a wild animal, with a leopard or a fox being the primary suspects.
Community Reeling, Past Fears Resurface
The incident has sent shockwaves through the local community and reignited deep-seated fears. The memory of a recent leopard attack in Pardi, where seven residents were injured earlier this month, is still fresh in the minds of citizens. This latest tragedy has starkly highlighted the persistent danger of human-wildlife conflict in the region's fringe areas.
Senior police officers, including ACP Narendra Hiware, and a forensic team visited the crime scene for investigation. The infant's body has been sent for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and gather more evidence. Meanwhile, the Hudkeshwar police have registered a case of accidental death and have increased patrolling in the vulnerable area as a precautionary measure.
