3 min readLucknowUpdated: Feb 15, 2026 02:36 PM IST
Amid suspicions surrounding the circumstances of her death, the Uttar Pradesh forest department has started inquiring into the case of a 47-year-old woman allegedly killed while her two sons sustained injuries in a suspected wild elephant attack in the Nishangarh range of the Katarniaghat wildlife division in Bahraich on Saturday afternoon.
Munni Devi and her sons were on their way to neighbouring Lakhimpur Kheri on a motorcycle when the incident unfolded. Her body has been sent to the mortuary for a postmortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of her death.
“We are awaiting the postmortem report before arriving at any conclusion,” said Divisional Forest Officer Apoorva Dixit.
Forest officials suspect that the victims may have lost control of the motorcycle after spotting the elephant, leading to a fall that resulted in her death and injuries to her sons. “The nature of the injuries will help determine whether the death was caused by an elephant attack or due to some other reason,” Dixit said.
The injured sons have been identified as Karan, 20, and his younger brother Arjun, 17. Both were given medical treatment and later discharged from the hospital. Doctors said their condition was stable.
Munni Devi had come to Bahraich on Saturday along with her sons for medical treatment. After purchasing medicines, they were returning to Lakhimpur Kheri on a motorcycle when, near the Mihipurwa area, a wild elephant reportedly appeared on the road.
The family said the elephant suddenly attacked them, first ramming into their motorcycle and then charging at them. Munni Devi and her sons sustained injuries in the incident. Local residents raised an alarm, following which the animal retreated into the nearby forest.
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The three people were rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared Munni Devi dead.
Elephants crossing the border
The Nishangarh range lies close to the India-Nepal border, and forest officials have not ruled out the possibility that the elephant may have strayed into Indian territory from Nepal. In recent years, there have been multiple instances of elephants crossing the border and creating havoc in adjoining districts.
In two separate incidents in the recent past, two people have lost their lives in such encounters. In December 2025, a 50-year-old farmer was trampled to death by a herd of wild elephants while guarding his sugarcane fields in Lakhimpur Kheri district.
Earlier, in November, the body of a 61-year-old farmer was found inside a hut located a short distance from the residential area in Pilibhit district. Officials suspected that he had been trampled to death by an elephant.
