Leopard enters busy residential area in Bhayandar East, attacks 7

The big cat remained in the area for around eight hours before the forest department and fire brigade personnel managed to tranquillise and capture him

MUMBAI: Seven people, including three women, were injured after a leopard entered a building in a bustling residential area on BP Road in Bhayandar East early on Friday morning and attacked residents, triggering panic and chaos.

Leopard enters busy residential area in Bhayandar East, attacks 7

The big cat remained in the area for around eight hours before the forest department and fire brigade personnel managed to tranquillise and capture him. An investigation is underway to determine how the leopard reached the densely populated area in Bhayandar East, which is at least 10 km from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

The injured were identified as Anjali Tak, 23; Bharati Tak, 48; Khushi Tak, 18; Chaganlal Bagrecha, 48; Shyam Pratap Sahni, 19; Rakesh, 50; and Deepu Bhaumik, 52.

Officials said the leopard had entered Bhayandar East around midnight and was spotted roaming the streets. Around 7 am, he entered Parijat building on BP Road, sparking panic among residents, even as some began filming the animal on their phones.

Amid the chaos, the leopard entered the Tak family’s first-floor apartment through an open door. Before anyone could react, the leopard attacked Anjali Tak while she was asleep in the bedroom, leaving her seriously injured. Her screams alerted family members and neighbours, who began crowding outside the flat.

The frightened animal then attacked three other members of the Tak family and three others who had reached the flat after hearing Anjali’s screams. Showing presence of mind, the injured Anjali managed to lock the leopard inside the bedroom and alerted the authorities.

Fire brigade personnel were the first responders. They broke open a window of the flat to rescue Anjali, even as she bled from her face. All the injured were rushed to a private hospital in Bhayandar by the local residents and fire brigade officers. The seriously injured Anjali was later shifted to KEM Hospital for further treatment. She was recently engaged and is scheduled to get married in 20 days.

The operation to capture the leopard began at 8 am, as forest officials from SGNP arrived at the spot. Police deployed a large contingent in the area and closed surrounding roads, though many residents gathered nearby and continued to take photographs and videos of the animal.

The leopard remained confined inside the bedroom of the Tak family’s flat. Forest officials tranquillised him by firing a dart through the window using a tranquilliser gun. The first shot missed, but the second struck the animal. Around 3 pm, the leopard fell unconscious and was placed in a cage.

The animal was then taken to the Leopard Rescue Centre at SGNP, where he will undergo a medical examination, and the process for its rehabilitation will be initiated, officials said.

Residents breathed a sigh of relief after the leopard was captured. “We had seldom seen snakes in this area. It was highly unusual to see a leopard in such a thickly populated area,” said Sunil Thakur, a local resident.

Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, MLA Narendra Mehta, and Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar municipal commissioner Radhabinod Sharma were present at the scene during the rescue operation. Sarnaik said the government would take steps to prevent leopards from entering residential areas.

One of the injured, Chaganlal Bagrecha, who is related to the Taks and is admitted to a private hospital, recounted the attack: “When I heard screams from my sister’s house, I rushed there and saw that the leopard had entered her house. My sister and one niece got out of the main door, but Anjali, who was asleep in the bedroom, was attacked. A few locals and I rushed inside to try to control the animal, but he pounced on us as soon as he saw us.”

BP Road, located east of the Bhayander railway station, is a crowded and bustling area. Residents said they are unable to comprehend how the big cat could have reached there; several claimed to have spotted it roaming the streets around midnight. Sharma and Sarnaik said CCTV footage from the area would be examined to determine how the leopard had reached there.