A youth was killed in a crocodile attack near the Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai district on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as K. Muniswaran, 17, a native of the Sathanur village and son of agricultural workers S. Kannan, 56, and K. Vedamani, 54. Muniswaran was a first-year student at the Government Arts and Science College in Tiruvannamalai town.
Initial inquiry revealed that Muniswaran and his friend K. Sanjay, 17, took cattle to the Pulikulam hillock for grazing. From the hillock, which is located behind the Sathanur dam, the two youths went to the Periyamalai Odai for fishing. The police said that when Muniswaran walked a few metres into the stream, a crocodile came suddenly surfaced and dragged him to the water. The incident happened around 8.30 a.m.
“Regular warnings have been given to residents along the banks of Thenpennai river to not to venture into the water or dam area due to the presence of numerous crocodiles. The river and the dam are their natural habitat and should not be disturbed,” A. Vishwanathan, forest range officer, Crocodile Farm (Sathanur), told The Hindu.
To save his friend, Sanjay pelted stones at the crocodile. However, the crocodile had already severely injured Muniswaran. As Sanjay cried for help, residents rushed to the spot and alerted Sathanur police and forest officials, who inspected the area. The body was sent to the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai town for postmortem.
Sunday’s incident comes after more than a year, when a youth was pulled into the river by a crocodile at Sathanur village.
Published – September 14, 2025 08:51 pm IST
