Spread over 1.25 acres, the ICP is a tightly secured border complex where checks on people, vehicles and goods entering or leaving the country are conducted by multiple agencies, including immigration, customs and security forces. The complex is guarded by jawans of the SSB, many of whom reside within the campus.

“After the attack, tiger pugmarks were found leading towards the Integrated Check Post. We thoroughly searched the entire ICP campus, but the animal has not been located so far. The Forest Department team also deployed drones to scan the area,” said Ganga Singh, Commandant of the SSB at Rupaidiha.

Chief Conservator of Forests Anuradha Vemuri said efforts are underway to locate and track the animal by installing camera traps in the area, adding that preliminary inputs indicate the tiger did not enter the ICP compound.

According to officials, the same tiger had been rescued from Sitapur recently and released into the Chakia forest range.

On Wednesday, the tiger had attacked and injured people — including a minor — within a radius of 400 metres in Pachpakri village. One man, Radhey Verma (60), was seriously injured and was referred to Lucknow for advanced treatment. The other two victims — Sanjana (12) and Ankit (23) — are receiving treatment at a hospital in Bahraich.

Forest officials said the tiger attacked the minor when she had approached the animal to take its photograph, highlighting the dangers of coming too close to wild animals in the area.

Bahraich is no stranger to man-animal conflict. For nearly two years, a series of deadly wolf attacks claimed around 20 lives, mostly children.

A short distance away, in Chanaini village of Nawabganj block, a leopard had attacked and injured two people, confirmed Dr Ram Singh Yadav, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Bahraich.

Earlier this month, wild elephants had damaged a thatched house and blocked a road for nearly an hour, causing panic among villagers.

Forest dept steps up awareness

On Friday, Chief Conservator of Forests (Central Zone) Dr Renu Singh visited areas along with  other officials affected by human-wildlife conflict and met the affected families. 

During the visit, she issued directions to raise public awareness, advised residents to sleep indoors, keep a close watch on children, and form monitoring groups in all villages. She also instructed officials to ensure that financial assistance is provided to the affected families at the earliest.

During her visit to wolf-affected areas,she appealed to residents to ensure that doors are installed in their houses while sleeping, and those without doors were asked to make temporary safety arrangements until the remaining wolf is rescued. 

During her visit to tiger-affected Rupaidiha, she directed intensified patrolling, monitoring, and heightened alertness in areas identified as possible tiger movement corridors.

She further appealed to people not to risk their lives by attempting to take photographs or videos of wild animals, and advised residents to maintain a safe distance and not disturb or provoke the animals until teams from the Forest Department and police arrive.

Inspector Ganesh Tiwari of Rupaidiha Police Station in Bahraich said a search operation is ongoing to locate the tiger. “Over the past two days, we have conducted extensive searches within the ICP campus and surrounding areas, but so far, we have not been able to trace the animal,” he stated.

The Uttar Pradesh government has also decided to strengthen safety measures around forest areas. The Forest Department has already put up extensive chain-link fences to stop big cats and other wild animals from entering villages. In some areas, solar-powered fences have been installed, which give animals a mild electric shock if they get too close. Officials said the fencing is being set up along the forest boundary, including sections that pass through private land.