Ghaziabad: Leopard attacks domestic help, forest guard in Dasna

A leopard, which was captured in a CCTV camera in Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar locality on early Wednesday morning, reportedly injured two people in Dasna on Saturday afternoon, said officials of the forest department

A leopard, which was captured in a CCTV camera in Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar locality on early Wednesday morning, reportedly injured two people in Dasna on Saturday afternoon, said officials of the forest department.

Ghaziabad, India - November 20, 2021: A leopard spotted in Adhyatmik Nagar, Dasna in Ghaziabad, India on Saturday, November 20, 2021. A forest department officer and a house worker were injured by the leopard. (Photo by Sakib Ali/Hindustan Times)

According to officials, the leopard is a 7ft long adult. Officials of the divisional forest department said they have brought in cages to trap the animal, one of which has been placed near Adhyatmik Nagar on the outskirts of Ghaziabad.

“We are suspecting that it is the same leopard, which was captured in the CCTV camera of a house in Raj Nagar, which injured the two people in Dasna. Our teams had launched a search for the leopard.It came out in the open in Dasna on Saturday. As locals rushed to see the animal, it panicked and injured one person and one of our forest guards before it went into hiding again. The victims have sustained injuries on their hands, face and other body parts,”said Ashok Gupta, forest ranger, Ghaziabad.

The two injured were identified as Chandan Kumar (28), who works as a domestic help. He was working at a house in Dasna when the leopard entered and attacked him. He was immediately rushed to the hospital after the attack.

The injured forest guard was identified as Sunil Rathi, who is recuperating at Sanjay Nagar Combined District Hospital.

“Rathi has been kept under observation and we have administered anti-rabies and immunoglobulins, besides providing other medication. He has sustained deep wounds on his forehead and shoulder,” said Dr Sanjay Teotia, chief medical superintendent of the district hospital.

Dasna, falling under the jurisdiction of Masuri police station area in Ghaziabad, is adjacent to national highway 9 and is surrounded by dense vegetation and open agricultural fields. Many people reside in Adhyatmik Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Akash Nagar and Dasna town among other neighbouring villages.

The leopard sighting has sparked panic among the locals living in and around Dasna.

“We were shocked to see the injured forest guard, who was bleeding and was rushed to the hospital. I saw the animal and how it attacked the forest guard. It then ran into a big house and attacked the domestic help there. Thereafter, it came out and went into hiding in the thick bushes,” said Jamuna Prasad, a local who was witness to the leopard attack.

Charan Singh, another local, said he saw the animal entering a temple between 12 noon and 1pm.

“All locals shut the doors of their house as we sounded an alert about the presence of the leopard. It was trying to find a safe hiding place and was shocked to see so many people. We have asked our neighbours to remain alert till the time the leopard is captured,” said Singh.

Police said they have also advised residents to keep a watch and stay indoors especially at night.

“The leopard injured two people and teams of the forest department were apprised about the development. Our teams will also help them as and when required,” said Iraj Raja, superintendent of police (rural).

Last year, a leopard was sighted in the official residence of vice-chairperson in Raj Nagar. A year later, in the same month, another leopard has emerged in the same locality, barely 500 metres away from the vice-chairperson’s official residence. Teams of the forest department had launched a week-long search but failed to locate the leopard, though it had found its pug marks.

Leopard sightings not uncommon in Ghaziabad

In December 2014, the carcass of a leopard was discovered from the stretches of Yamuna river in Pychara village in Loni, Ghaziabad. In the same month, another leopard was found dead in the fields of Abupur in Modi Nagar, Ghaziabad and was suspected to have died of electrocution.

In April 2017, a male leopard was captured from Krishna Vihar Kuti area, close to Hindon airbase, but only after it injured two persons and a cattle.

Besides these, an animal from the cat family, possibly a leopard, was also spotted in Vaishali’s Sector-3 on August 1, 2019.

Last year, on December 17, a three-and-half year old male leopard was captured from the Hindon airbase and released into Saharanpur range by the forest department.

According to officials, leopard is listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and included in Appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora). It is also listed as ‘near threatened’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.