Bhubaneswar, Sept. 29 -- A female bear and her two cubs were spotted near several villages under Silva panchayat in Komna block of Odisha's Nuapada district, prompting the Forest Department to alert local residents and step up monitoring.

According to villagers, the three bears have been moving around the area at night for the past few days. On Monday night, they were reportedly seen near Banjibahal and Barapadar villages, causing concern among residents.

After receiving information about the sighting, teams from the Komna and Nuapada forest divisions reached the area along with officials from the electricity department.

The teams managed to drive the bears away from the village and towards the nearby forest. No injury or damage was re...