A tiger has killed seven people in northern India in the past two weeks, authorities said.

A hunt has been launched to kill the tigress that has turned into a man-eater. Rupak De, principal chief conservator of forests.

The tiger's latest victim, a woman, was found in a forest in Uttar Pradesh state on Tuesday, said Rupak De, principal chief conservator of forests.

Thousands of villagers remain indoors while hunters try to kill the female tiger who has been on the prowl across an area spanning some 130km.

"A hunt has been launched to kill the tigress that has turned into a man-eater," De said. "It must still be hungry as it has been running without rest and adequate food."

The tiger is believed to have strayed into the area from Jim Corbett National Park.

Capture and release

"People are terrified," said Salim Luqmaan, a government official in Moradabad, a forested area dotted with villages where most of the killings have happened.

But wildlife activist and Member of Parliament Meneka Gandhi has urged Uttar Pradesh's government not to shoot the animal.

In a letter to forest officials, she said the animal is only attacking people because it is hungry and would spare humans once it returns to its natural habitat.

Gandhi recommended the government capture the tiger and release it in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand.

Reports that a killer tiger was on the loose began circulating on December 29, 2013 when a 65-year-old man was mauled in Sambhal district.