Leopard sighting reported near Banashankari in Bengaluru, residents on alert: Report

A leopard was spotted near Turahalli Forest, prompting warnings in RWA WhatsApp groups.

A leopard was spotted near the fringes of Turahalli Forest in Bengaluru’s Banashankari on Tuesday. Messages flooded Resident Welfare Association (RWA) WhatsApp groups, cautioning residents after a photograph and a short video of the leopard lying on a rock near Sobha Forest View Apartments circulated widely, The Hindu reported.

Police personnel have been deployed to investigate the sighting(Representative file photo).

According to the report, the Forest Department took note of the reports and said that they cannot confirm if pictures were taken on Tuesday. However, police personnel have been deployed to investigate the sighting, the report added.

Leopard sightings and captures

Earlier this month, a 48-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard while she was returning home from fields in Nelamangala taluk, Bengaluru Rural district, officials familiar with the matter said, adding that 15 cages have been installed in and around the area to catch the animal.

A month ago, the residents of Hunasamaranahalli, Bengaluru, urged the Yelahanka forest officials to capture the leopard after a video went viral on social media allegedly showing a leopard roaming in the area. The alleged video was captured by the construction workers at the Yelahanka airbase.

In September, a leopard that had been roaming Bengaluru’s Electronic city, instilling fear among residents and IT employees, was been captured. The big cat, first spotted near the Electronic City toll plaza, was eventually caught after being monitored through CCTV footage.

In recent days, cameras captured multiple sightings of the big cat, particularly near the helipad in Electronic City. This isolated area seemed to provide the perfect cover for the leopard, which avoided crowded spaces. The forest department intensified its operations, using bait to lure the animal into the trap.

Bengaluru rural DCF Sarina Chikkaligar said that the incident took place near Kambalu Gollarhatti village when the victim, identified as Karimamma, was returning home.