Panic has gripped Daralamma after passengers on an RTC bus claimed to have sighted a tiger on Sapparla ghat road in Alluri Sitharama Raju District’s G.K. Veedhi mandal on Sunday. Forest department officials rushed to the area and alerted tribal hamlets in GK Veedhi and surrounding areas.

District Forest Officer (DFO-Chintapalli) Y.V. Narasimha Rao said passengers on board a Sileru-Paderu RTC bus saw the tiger around 7 a.m. The Forest Department received information about the sighting around 8.30 a.m.

Several teams from the department were sent to the area to gather evidence. “However, we were not able to retrieve any pug marks. The search will continue on Monday,” he added.

Meanwhile, the officials held campaigns at various public places, including the weekly shandies to spread awareness on the tiger movement. They appealed to tribespeople not to venture into the forest alone. They also asked them to be alert and not to leave their cattle outside sheds.