Locals in Bahraich said wolves have been roaming the area for weeks
Locals in Bahraich said wolves have been roaming the area for weeks.
A 3-year-old girl playing outside her house in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh was attacked and carried away by a wolf on Thursday morning.

The terrifying incident occurred in Lodhan Purwa village under the Kaisarganj police station area.

The missing child has been identified as Jahnvi (3), daughter of Santosh, a resident of Lodhan Purwa hamlet in Godhiya No. 3 village.

According to family members, the attack took place around 11 am when Jahnvi was playing near the entrance of her house. Suddenly, a wolf emerged from a nearby paddy field and pounced on the child. Before anyone could react, the animal grabbed the toddler in its jaws and ran toward the adjoining sugarcane fields.

Hearing the screams, villagers rushed to the spot and chased the wolf, but it disappeared into the dense forest. Despite continuous efforts by locals, there has been no trace of the child so far.

Jahnvi's grandfather, Sajanlal said the child was playing near the door when the wolf attacked. "My two daughters-in-law and a grandson saw the wolf snatch her and shouted for help, but it vanished within moments," he said.

The incident has left the family devastated. Jahnvi's mother has reportedly fainted several times since the attack, while her father is assisting forest officials and villagers in the ongoing search.

Upon receiving the information, Kaisarganj Range Officer Omkar Yadav arrived at the scene with his team. A joint search operation by forest department personnel and villagers is underway, using drones to scan every part of the area.

Range Officer Yadav revealed that a wolf was sighted around 6 am in the Bhirgupurwa area, where forest officials even fired shots to drive it away. "A few hours later, it appears the same animal attacked the child," he said.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav confirmed that the team is continuously searching for the missing girl. "We have alerted nearby villages and urged residents to remain vigilant and not to let small children play outside alone," he added.

The search operation continues as tension and fear grip the community.