Man mauled to death by bear in Chhattisgarh's Korba district

Korba, Mar 2 (PTI) A 26-year-old man was attacked and killed by a bear in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, a forest official said on Monday.

The body of Santosh Kumar Gond, a resident of Salaigot village in the Kendai range of Katghora forest division, was found in the nearby forest in the wee hours of the day, the official said.

Gond had gone to the jungle to graze his goats on Sunday, and while the livestock returned home, he did not, raising concerns among his family members, he said.

The official stated that the family alerted villagers and informed the forest department, and after several hours of combing the forest, the team recovered the body around 1.30 am.

According to officials, the paw prints found near the body indicated that a bear may have attacked the victim.

Katghora Divisional Forest Officer Kumar Nishant said an immediate relief of Rs 25,000 has been provided to the victim's family as per norms, and an additional compensation of Rs 5.75 lakh will be disbursed after the completion of formalities.

The forest department has urged villagers to exercise caution and avoid venturing into the forest alone. PTI COR TKP ARU