Locals of Kailali are afraid to venture out of their homes as in the past one week many of them have spotted a tiger prowling in and around Basanta Corridor.

Villagers had spotted the tiger in Wards 5 and 7 of Kailari Rural Municipality.

Khemraj Chaudhary claimed he spotted the wild beast in broad daylight when he was out in the field.

The tiger was also spotted in the forest area of Bipatpur of Ward No 7 three days ago. A villager had also seen the tiger in a sugarcane field at Basanta. He said the wild beast had a radio collar around its neck.

Chaudhary said a cow had fallen prey to the wild beast in Basanta area.

Fear of the tiger is such that locals from Basanta Rampur, Baijapur, Bipatpur, and Tighari don't venture out of their homes after dark.

Locals say that the tiger roaming around the village came from India's Dudhuwa National Park.

Lallan Kathariya said that he had seen the tiger at Belaparsuwa. According to him, a tiger had killed a 15-year-old boy at Maruacha village of Sampurnanagar in India a few days back.

Some locals say the tiger could be a man-eating beast. Despite the regular appearances in human settlements, the local administration seems to be unaware of the menace posed by the tiger.

DAO Kailali's Information Officer Shivraj Joshi expressed ignorance about the tiger roaming in the village.

National Park and Wildlife Conservation Department Information officer Ganesh Panta said his office was coordinating with Indian officials, Ministry of Forest and Tourism and District Forest Office, Kailali, to prevent possible damage caused by the tiger.

Locals say they have spotted the big cat for the past few days. The tiger has got a radio collar installed on its neck.