TIRUVANNAMALAI: A 17-year-old boy died after being mauled by a crocodile near the Sathanur Dam in Thandarampattu Taluk in Tiruvannamalai on Sunday.
The victim, a BA Economics student at Tiruvannamalai Government College, was identified as Muneeswaran from Sathanur in Tiruvannamalai. According to the Sathanur dam Police, the incident happened around 8.30 am, when Muneeswaran, had gone out to graze his goats near the dam.
On his way, he stopped by the Perumalai stream on the banks of Thenpennai river, located at the dam’s catchment area, to drink water and wash himself when a crocodile dragged him inside the water by his legs.
Locals rushed to the scene upon hearing his screams and tried to rescue him. He was also accompanied by a friend, who was unharmed in the incident.
Later, Muneeswaran’s relatives and the Sathanur police were informed.
The police recovered his body and sent it for postmortem to Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital.
The Sathanur dam police have registered a case under Section 194 of BNSS, pertaining to unnatural death.
Presently, the water level at the Sathanur Dam is reportedly 114 feet and is fast approaching its maximum capacity of 119 feet.
According to sources, this is one of the reasons why hundreds of crocodiles are found near the catchment area.