Sitapur, January 29: Forest officials have launched a search operation to locate and secure a tiger, which was spotted inside the premises of BJP leader Munindra Awasthi's farmhouse in Sandana village of Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh. The wild feline spotted at Awasthi's house on Saturday night had been roaming freely for the past 24 hours according to Dinesh Gupta Forest Ranger, Sitapur district.

Awasthi's farmhouse is situated in Khevatarampur village of Naimisharanya police station area. According to forest ranger Gupta, a dedicated team combed the farmhouse on Sunday, and efforts were intensified to locate and secure the tiger. "Visual surveillance, including the use of drones, has been employed since yesterday evening to monitor the movements of the tiger," he said. Tiger Rescued in Uttar Pradesh: Forest Officials Rescue Big Cat That Entered Farmer's House in Pilibhit (Watch Video).

The Forest Department team has yet to successfully apprehend the tiger. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sitapur, Brij Mohan Shukla, informed ANI over the phone that "Plans are in place to employ a cage in the Sandana area on Monday to safely contain the tiger. The tiger will not be tranquillized as the it is not aggressive." He said that 10 to 12 members from the forest and police department were involved in the operation. Tiger Spotted Standing on Wall in UP Video: Big Cat Barges Inside House, Attracts Hundreds of Onlookers in Pilibhit.

The presence of a tiger within a residential area has raised concerns among locals in the area. Meanwhile, In December last year, a tiger resting atop a wall in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh drew a massive crowd before being rescued by forest officials. A team of forest department officials rescued the big cat that had ventured into a man's house in the Athkona village, located nearly 20km from Pilibhit Tiger Reserve forest.