A 48-year-old man, who had gone to take bath in river Brahmani at Pattamundai in the district on Sunday, went missing after being dragged by a crocodile into the water.
Sanjay Pradhan, a resident of Mandapada village had the tragedy as the crocodile lurking on the riverbank pounced upon him. Locals present at the spot rushed to help him but in vain.
Being informed, Fire Services personnel rushed to the spot and carried out a search operation. Till filing of the report, the operation to trace the victim was still on.
Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Charan Sahu reached the spot and met the family members of Pradhan. Pradhan, who was working as a plumber in Qatar, had returned to his village a year back. He has his wife and two young sons.