Residents of a village near here today killed a crocodile after it fatally attacked a 55- year-old man, who was grazing cattle on the bank of Vishwamitri river.
The incident occurred in Sihor village under Padre taluka of Vadodara district.
Mahendra Natubhai Chauhan, the local Sarpanch (Village Head), said tonight the victim, Raijibhai Chaturbhai Vasava, was pulled into the river by the 11-feet reptile.
The beast dragged him into deep waters even as people from surrounding areas rushed to the spot on hearing Vasava's screams for help.
However, they failed in their attempt to rescue the man, a casual labourer. The crocodile held the man in its jaws for nearly three hours, while the villagers repeatedly attacked the predator with sticks, killing him after a lot of struggle, Chauhan said.
Forest Department and police personnel turned up at the site after the Sarpanch informed them about the incident.
The victim's body and the dead crocodile were later fished out from the river.
