Agra: An 11-foot-long crocodile which had caused panic in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district in India after attacking a villager has been caught and released into the Ganges, officials said on Monday.

The crocodile was caught in Bichpuria village by a team of Uttar Pradesh Forest Department officials and the Wildlife SOS.

Officials said the massive reptile could have made its way through a canal leading to the village pond from the river Ganges, a media statement said.

A four-member team from Wildlife SOS accompanied by four forest officers was immediately deployed in Bichpuria, located almost 300 km from Agra.

The team set up a trap cage on the banks of the pond. After days of waiting, the crocodile eventually emerged from the pond on Sunday and the team was able to successfully lure it into the cage.

A decision was made to release the crocodile into the Ganges which flows across the district with the permission of the Chief Wildlife Warden.