Panic has spread across the area after three people were injured in a wild animal attack along the Hatibandha border in Lalmonirhat. To find the animal, local residents conducted searches overnight using torches and mobile phone lights. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) also carried out searches using drones. However, the animal had not been located as of 4:00 PM on Monday.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon near the Uttar Amjhol border of the upazila. According to BGB information, local resident Sharifa Begum (30) was searching for her goat about 100 yards inside Bangladeshi territory from border pillar 905/11 S when she was attacked by the wild animal. Hearing her screams, nearby residents rushed to help, and two others were injured.
Since the incident, BGB and forest department members have been trying to identify and rescue the animal. Four members of a wildlife and biodiversity conservation team from Dhaka, along with 11 officials and staff from Lalmonirhat, Hatibandha, and Rangpur, are working at the scene. Warning announcements have also been made in the area via microphone.
Lieutenant Colonel Mehedi Imam, captain of Lalmonirhat 15 BGB, stated that considering the situation, four to five blank rounds were fired in the Bangladeshi territory of the Amjhol border before and after Sunday evening. The matter had earlier been informed to the commander of the 78th Battalion of the BSF, who is on duty at Gopalpur in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India.
A BGB press release stated that the animal fled into a nearby forest following the attack. To ensure public safety and safely rescue the animal, the forest department was informed through the district administration.
Anisur Rahman, acting officer of the Lalmonirhat District Social Forestry, Nursery, and Training Center, said that the nature and depth of the wounds on the dead goat's body at the scene have been examined. Primarily, the animal is suspected to be a leopard. However, data collection, analysis, and investigation are ongoing to confirm this.
As the animal was not found despite an all-night search, anxiety remains among the residents of the border areas.
