A quiet village in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district was plunged into grief and fear on Saturday morning after the brutally mutilated body of a 14-year-old girl was discovered in a forested area. The victim, identified as Guddi Chaudhary, had gone missing from a sugarcane field a day earlier, sparking a frantic search by her family and villagers.
A Frantic Search Ends in Tragedy
The sequence of events began on Friday afternoon around 3 pm. Guddi, a Class 6 student, had gone to cut sugarcane with her elder sister, Angira (20), in a field located barely 300 meters from their home. During the work, Guddi suddenly went missing. An alarmed Angira rushed home to inform the family.
Her uncle, Kanhaiya, immediately mobilized villagers, and a night-long search operation was launched. Armed with torches and sticks, the group combed through the fields and nearby forest area until around 2 am. However, the search yielded no clues, forcing the exhausted family to return home empty-handed.
The search resumed at dawn on Saturday. Around 8 am, the grim discovery began. Searchers first spotted bloodstains inside the forest, followed by Guddi's slippers and pieces of her scattered clothing. A few meters ahead, they found her body in a severely mutilated condition.
Horrific Details of the Attack
The scene was horrific. Guddi's body was torn into multiple parts, with one arm found about 10 meters away from the main remains. Flesh from her chest and abdomen was missing, and one of her ears was also mutilated. The sight left her mother, Usha, completely inconsolable. She broke down at the spot, alleging that her daughter had been killed in a horrific manner and must have suffered immensely before death.
The family strongly suspects a tiger attack. Kanhaiya claimed that the area falls under a tiger reserve zone and has frequent movement of the big cats. "Several incidents occurred earlier. My niece was dragged into the forest and eaten by a tiger," he alleged.
Forest Department's Response and Appeal
Sunil Rao, the Ranger of the Sohgi Barwa forest range, stated that a forest team was actively tracking the case. However, he noted the absence of clear evidence. "No clear pugmarks were found. It could be a tiger or a leopard. The exact cause will be confirmed after the post-mortem examination," Rao said. He appealed to villagers to avoid venturing into forest areas, especially during early morning and late evening hours, for their own safety.
The tragic incident has intensified fear among the local residents. Guddi was the fifth among six siblings. Her father, Umesh Chaudhary, is a farmer. In response to the panic, forest and police officials have intensified patrolling in the area. The community now lives in the shadow of fear, awaiting conclusive answers from the authorities while mourning the loss of a young life.
