Vadodara: A 22-year-old man was dragged into the Dev River by a crocodile while washing his hands and feet near Kagadipura village in Waghodia taluka on Thursday afternoon. Despite an extensive search operation by the Vadodara Fire Brigade till late evening, the youth remained untraced.

The victim was identified as Mithun Maheshbhai Vasava, a resident of Kagadipura village who was engaged in farming.

According to eyewitnesses, Mithun had gone to the bank of the Dev River passing through the village boundary when a crocodile suddenly attacked him and dragged him into the water. Villagers who witnessed the incident raised an alarm and rushed to rescue him, but the crocodile disappeared into the river with the young man.

The incident was immediately reported to Mithun’s family, as well as the Waghodia Police and Vadodara Fire Brigade. Police personnel and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and launched a search operation in the river.

However, despite hours of search efforts, Mithun could not be traced till late evening. The fire brigade later suspended the operation due to darkness. Officials said the search operation would resume on Friday. DeshGujarat.