Prohibitory orders were imposed Tuesday in Sarni town in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district after a tiger was spotted close to residential areas over the past three days, a senior official said.

Shahpur Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Shrawan Kumar Bhandari said the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) had written a letter informing that a tiger was seen close to residential areas in the town since December 1.

He said the Forest department had launched a rescue operation to apprehend the tiger and get it to move back to the forest.

"In order to prevent public movement during the rescue operation, prohibitive orders under section 144 of CrPC (banning gathering of more than five persons in public places) has been imposed. This would be effective in the municipal limits of Sarni till the completion of the rescue operation," SDM Bhandari said.

Betul Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) PS Champawat said the tiger's presence was captured by CCTV cameras and it had been seen in residential areas six times in the past three days.

A special team to capture the tiger was also called from Pachmarhi, he said.

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