On Camera, Gujarat Man Dragged By 12-Foot Crocodile Into River, Dies

A horrifying incident has unfolded in the Waghodia taluka of Gujarat's Vadodara district, where on Thursday a 22-year-old man was dragged into the deep waters of the Dev River by a crocodile. 

The victim, identified as Mithun Maheshbhai Vasava, was out grazing cattle near Kagdipura village in the afternoon when the predator launched a sudden and fatal attack. 

The event, captured in several videos, has left the local community in a state of shock and terror.

The attack occurred when Mithun reportedly approached the riverbank to drink water. A nearly 12-foot-long crocodile, which had been lying in wait, lunged at him and clamped its powerful jaws around his waist. Eyewitnesses stood helplessly on the banks as the reptile dragged the young man into the deeper sections of the river. Distressing footage circulating on social media shows the crocodile swimming through the water for several hours while still holding the victim's body in its mouth.

Upon receiving the alert, teams from the Waghodia Police, the Forest Department, and the Fire Brigade rushed to the spot to initiate a search and rescue operation. However, officials faced immense challenges as the crocodile repeatedly submerged and moved into inaccessible parts of the river whenever rescue boats approached. Despite the efforts of the specialised teams, the sheer size of the predator and the murky river conditions made the retrieval process extremely difficult.

This incident has reignited fears regarding the high population of crocodiles in the rivers surrounding Vadodara, especially during the summer months when water levels are low and human-wildlife encounters become more frequent. Authorities continue their efforts to recover the body and secure the area, the local administration has issued an urgent warning to residents to maintain a safe distance from the riverbanks.