Lakhimpur Kheri, Jun 28 (IANS): A team of the forest department finally managed to capture a tigress from Kheratiya village in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The tigress and her cub, believed to have turned into a man-eater, were reportedly responsible for killing nearly 21 persons in the past two years in the area.

Sub-divisional officer Amit Kumar said a 14-year-old boy has been among those mauled to death in the area, which is located near the Dudhwa forest.

A series of human-animal conflict cases have been reported from the region over the last seven months. One Mindo Kaur was attacked on Monday afternoon in the Kheratiya village while she was working in her agricultural field. Earlier on Sunday, another farmer was killed.

Pargat Singh, the head of the village, said the caging of the tigress has come as a huge relief to the villagers. He appealed to the people against venturing out alone until the second tigress is captured.