A partially chewed body of a nine-month-old baby in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has been found near a pond on the outskirts of Mauzamabad Village in Lakhimpur Kheri District, local media reported on Monday morning.
The baby, Shivani, was reportedly sleeping with her mother in the courtyard of their house. When her mother woke up, she realised her daughter was missing. She raised the alarm, seeking the help of police and fellow villagers.
After a day-long search, police discovered the baby girl's body on Sunday afternoon. Police suspect that some wild animal may have taken the child and slipped her away.
The autopsy report confirmed that the infant had been killed by an animal.
"Shivani's house is on the fringe of the village and surrounded by agricultural fields. A number of carnivores like jackals, wolves and leopards lurk amid the cane crops which are ready for harvest. Recently, a pack of wolves killed two goats at the village," Inspector Narayan Singh told Indian news agency IANS.
A similar incident was reported on 29 July, when a three-year-old girl was killed in the State's Maigalganj Village in the same district.
To curb such incidents, police have asked the forest department to launch public awareness drives in the villages and urge residents to not let their children sleep in the open.