Crocodile drags teen bathing in Kollidam river; body retrieved

CHENNAI: A pall of gloom descended in Chidambaram after an 18-year-old boy was dragged into the river by a crocodile. His body was later retrieved by the Chidambaram Forest Department on Saturday evening from the Old Kollidam River. A video showing the reptile dragging the boy also went viral.

Speaking to DT Next, D Saranya, Forest Range Officer, Chidambaram said, “The victim, P Thirumalai was a resident of a hamlet near the old Kollidam River. On Saturday around 3:45 pm, the boy went out for a swim during which a crocodile dragged him.”

“After intimation from the villagers, the Chidambaram forest team retrieved the body at 6 pm. Such incidents have become frequent and we have warned residents and also submitted a letter to the Cuddalore Collector for erecting a fence in the area, ” the FRO added. A proposal has also been submitted to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department head quarters to start a crocodile farm in the area. Residents have also alleged that there are several such incidents occurring frequently.

“Kollidam river is a crocodile infested area and the stray reptiles in Delta districts are often released in the Kollidam and adjacent Vakramari lake. Kollidam and Cauvery rivers are both a conducive habitat for Mugger Crocodiles ( crocodylus porosus),” a retired chief conservator of forests said.