PILIBHIT: Eighteen govt schools across 15 villages in Pilibhit have been shut as a precautionary measure after a tigress suspected of killing three people, most recently a woman on July 17 in Bithra Mandaria, continued to evade capture despite an intensive rescue operation.

The school closure, ordered by basic shiksha adhikari Amit Kumar Singh on Saturday, follows a request by divisional forest officer Bharat Kumar DK and approval from district magistrate Gyanendra Singh. The schools will remain closed until the tigress is captured.

Efforts to trap the animal using cages, live bait, and patrol teams have failed so far. The tigress is believed to be moving stealthily through interconnected sugarcane and paddy fields. Senior forest officials, including additional principal chief conservator (Project Tiger) Lalit Verma and Bareilly Zone chief conservator PP Singh, are camping in the area.

After the latest attack, forest officials initiated talks to seek permission from the state’s chief wildlife warden to shoot the tigress. DM Gyanendra Singh, on July 18, had said that the matter was discussed with PTR field director Ramesh Chandra, who is reviewing the tigress’s case history before proceeding further.

The tigress was last spotted on Saturday in Dandia village, about 2km from the most recent attack site. All three deaths have occurred within a 5km radius near the Mala range of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.

“We tracked pugmarks showing the tigress crossed the Khakra river to reach Dandia, but efforts to use elephants for combing had to be dropped due to strong opposition from farmers fearing crop damage. We’re now using modified tractors instead,” said PTR DFO Manish Singh.

Farmers have long resisted the use of elephants during combing operations, as the state govt offers no compensation for crop damage caused by jumbo movement. “We’ve raised the issue with senior officials and are hoping for a policy change,” Singh added.

Meanwhile, eight e-rickshaws have been deployed across affected villages to spread safety advisories.