A 50-year-old man and his son died after they were mauled by bears in a forested patch in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, police said on Friday.
“Phulsingh Khadiya and his son Kudum (21) died after they were attacked by bears in Kataud forests near Kewali village yesterday when the duo had gone to the jungle to gather wood for the latter’s marriage function,” Kharsiya Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Ashok Wadegaonkar said.
Kudum’s marriage was scheduled for the next week in Kewali village.
The father and son had gone to the forests reportedly to bring woods for erecting a ‘mandap’ for the marriage ceremony, the SDOP said.
When they did not return, the villagers launched a search for them and spotted their mauled bodies in Kataud forests under Jobi police outpost, he said.
Prima facie it appears that the duo was attacked by two-three bears, seen in nearby forests on Thursday morning.
Soon after being informed, a police team along with forest personnel rushed to the spot, he said.
The wife of the deceased (Phulsingh), Boond Kunwar was given a relief amount of Rs 10,000, he said.
The bodies have been handed over to the kin after the post-mortem and a case has been registered in this connection, the SDOP said adding that further probe was on.