BHOPAL: In a tragic incident, a 10-year-old boy was swallowed by a crocodile in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh. The boy, who was taking a bath in the Chambal river, was attacked by the crocodile on Monday morning, said the villagers. Some of the locals also claim to have seen the crocodile dragging the child. The villagers soon called the child’s family and immediately caught the crocodile using sticks, rope and a net.

Following the incident, forest officials and the police arrived at the spot. Both the teams tried to rescue the crocodile from the villagers, but to no avail. The family of the 10-year-old was hoping that their child would be alive in the crocodile’s stomach. They said that they would release the crocodile only if it spewed out the child.

“The boy went deep into the river while bathing. The villagers said that the child had been swallowed by a crocodile. They then caught the crocodile using a net and sticks. The alligator department has started action in the matter”, said Raghunathpur police station in-charge Shyam Veer Singh Tomar. Meantime, the police said that they suspect the child may have drowned in the river. A search operation is underway to find the boy.