Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): A woman escaped through a window with her seven-year-old son after finding a 5-foot-7-inch crocodile inside her house at Navagaon near Kundanpur village in Bajna on Wednesday night.
Sitabai was sleeping with her younger son when she woke around 10 pm and saw the crocodile moving toward her with its mouth open. Her 12-year-old son had gone to the river with friends. The crocodile is believed to have entered through an open door.
Hearing Sitabai's screams, villagers rushed to the house and, after considerable effort, restrained the crocodile with ropes. They alleged that neither police nor forest personnel arrived that night despite being informed.
Villagers took the crocodile to Bajna but returned after finding no responsible official. They later tied it near the under-construction Mahadev temple and kept vigil throughout the night.
Forest ranger Amit Soni took the crocodile to the Bajna Forest Range Office on Thursday morning, where veterinary doctor Firoz Khan examined it. The reptile, estimated to be about two years old and 170 cm long, was kept in a cage.
Villagers said falling water levels amid drought conditions could be driving wildlife towards populated areas. The Mahi Dam, about 20 km from Navagaon, has freshwater crocodiles, while the local Telni River is connected to the Mahi River system.
