Leopard believed to have killed child in Aarey captured, sibling being monitored in field

Aarey Colony’s Dairy Unit No. 15, where the family lives, borders the recently notified forest area of Aarey, now under the administrative control of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Following the attack on Monday, the forest department officials immediately took steps to identify the problem animal

Mumbai The three-year-old leopard believed to have killed a 16-month-old toddler near Dairy Unit No. 15 on Diwali morning has been captured by the forest department.

Mumbai, India - Oct 24, 2022 : A 16-month-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard in the early hours of Diwali, on Monday, in Aarey Milk Colony, Goregaon, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, Oct 24, 2022. The child, Itika Lot, was picked up by the animal a stone's throw away from her doorstep at 5:45am. Her mother, Bharati, had left the front door open as she went outside to light a diya in a mandir just a few feet away from their home, to commemorate the first day of Diwali, when Itika followed her out. The family lives at Aarey Colony's Dairy Unit No. 15. The settlement borders the recently notified forest area of Aarey, now under the administrative control of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).(Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

The child, Itika Lot, was picked up by a leopard (officially known as C-55) a stone’s throw from her doorstep at 5:45am. Her mother, Bharati, had left the front door open as she went out to light a diya in a temple located a few feet away from their home to commemorate the first day of Diwali, when Itika followed her out.

Aarey Colony’s Dairy Unit No. 15, where the family lives, borders the recently notified forest area of Aarey, now under the administrative control of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). Following the attack on Monday, the forest department officials immediately took steps to identify the problem animal, especially after two incidents of leopards mock charging at people were reported late Monday evening.

Though officials initially said that they suspected a young female to have carried out the attack, G Malikarjuna, park director, SGNP told Hindustan Times on Thursday, “After surveying the area, we narrowed in on two male leopards, C-55 and C-56. C-55 was captured in the early hours of Wednesday and is currently under observation at our rescue centre in SGNP. We are continuing to monitor its sibling C-56 in the field. A total of 30 camera traps have been activated around Aarey to keep an eye on leopard movements.”

Earlier this month, a four-year-old boy named Himanshu Yadav from Aarey Colony’s Charandevpada was attacked by a leopard near Adarsh Nagar while he was on his way to a Navratri celebration with his father. Though he suffered claw injuries, he survived the attack.

Earlier this year, a leopard (C-32) was identified as being responsible for a spate of nine leopard attacks in Aarey Colony within a single month and was captured by forest officials.

Shiv Sena MLA, Ravindra Waikar, from the Jogeshwari (East) constituency visited Aarey Colony’s Unit No 15 on Monday afternoon. “After the Adarsh Nagar incident during Navratri, where a young boy was attacked by a leopard, why weren’t precautions taken by the forest department to prevent such an incident. We are asking calmly today. Tomorrow we may not be as calm,” Waikar had said, addressing the residents.