Bahraich, Sept. 13 -- Panic has gripped the Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich district again after two children were killed and an elderly woman was grievously injured in suspected wolf attacks over the last three days. Last year, at least nine people, mostly children, were killed in such attacks. The most recent incident occurred around 3 am on Friday in Bhauri Bahorwa village under the Baundi police station area where a wolf allegedly snatched a three-month-old girl from her mother's lap when she was sleeping in the verandah. Hours later, the child's mutilated body was discovered nearly 600 meters away in a sugarcane field. At Babhnanpurwa hamlet in Majhara Taukli village, one Shiv Pyari, 65, was attacked by a wild animal when she was rearing her cattle on Thursday night. She is currently undergoing treatment at the Bahraich Medical College. On Tuesday, a five-year-old girl was killed in a similar attack in Paragpurwa hamlet of the same village. An overnight search with drones was launched. Her mutilated body was recovered from a sugarcane field the next morning. Divisional forest officer (DFO) Ram Singh Yadav said samples had been collected for forensic testing to determine whether the killer was indeed by wolves or some other wild animal, since locals reported spotting two leopards. However, no leopard footprints were confirmed yet, he added. The DFO explained that sugarcane fields spread across 50 kilometres in the area provided easy cover for wild animals to attack and hide. Since many houses were surrounded by these fields, children and elderly people were especially vulnerable, he added. Meanwhile, the forest department has installed three cages, three thermal drone cameras, and 25 CCTV cameras in the affected villages. Nine forest teams from Bahraich, along with reinforcements from Gonda and Shravasti, were conducting round-the-clock patrolling, the official said. The district administration has also mobilised gram vikas adhikaris, lekhpals, and other revenue staff to spread awareness. Villagers are being urged not to sleep outdoors, to keep children indoors at night, and to immediately alert forest officials in case of suspicious animal movement. Plans for installing solar lights and forming youth vigilance groups are also under consideration. Between July and September of last year, nine people, mostly children, were killed and more than 60 others were injured in wolf attacks in Mahsi, after which the forest department captured six wolves....