Mugger crocodile kills youth in Chitwan’s Budhi Rapti River

July 4, Kathmandu: A 27-year-old youth, Abhisek Majhi, from Chitrasari in Ratnagar Municipality-8, was fatally attacked by a mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in the Budhi Rapti River, Chitwan district, on Thursday night.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rabindra Khanal of the District Police Office, Chitwan, Majhi was fishing with a friend when the crocodile struck, leading to his death. The mugger crocodile, common in Chitwan’s rivers, is known for occasional aggression toward humans, unlike the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), a fish-eating crocodilian also native to the region.

Gharials, with their slender snouts and docile nature, have no recorded history of fatal human attacks, making the mugger crocodile the likely species responsible for this tragic incident.