Bear mauls 3 men to death in MP's Sidhi district; animal killed by irate villagers, probe on

Sidhi: A bear killed three men and wounded two others before the animal was beaten to death by angry local residents at a village near Sanjay Gandhi Tiger Reserve in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, police said.

A police officer said the incident took place around day break in a thicket near Bastua village, 65km from the district headquarters.

When contacted over phone, Marwas police station house officer (SHO) Bhoopesh Vais said three men died and two others were injured after being attacked by the bear near the tiger reserve.

Irate villagers, armed with sticks and clubs, surrounded the bear and killed it, he said.

The injured were admitted to a local hospital, informed the police officer.

Vais, who visited the attack site, said the deceased were identified as Babbu Yadav, Deenbandhu Sahu and Santosh Yadav.

"Forest department officials have launched an investigation into the incident," the SHO added.