32-year-old woman killed in leopard attack near UP’s Dudhwa buffer zone

This has sparked resentment among the locals, who are now protesting and demanding the leopard’s immediate capture

A 32-year-old woman was attacked and mauled to death by a leopard on Saturday in Uttar Pradesh’s Sahijana village, located in the north Nighasan forest range of the Dudhwa buffer zone, officials said.

This is the second fatality in big cat attacks reported from the Dudhwa buffer zone this month. (Representative Image/ HT File Photo)

The deceased, identified as Sandhya Devi was sleeping on a cot outside her hutment when the leopard attacked her.

The village falls under Singahi police limits and is three kilometres away from the Dudhwa buffer zone.

According to locals, despite their efforts to shoo the animal away, the leopard grabbed the woman by her neck and dragged her into the nearby fields.

This has sparked resentment among the locals, who are now protesting and demanding the leopard’s immediate capture.

Nighasan sub-divisional magistrate Rajeev Nigam, deputy superintendent of police Shivam Kumar, local police and forest officers reached the protest site.

Dudhwa buffer zone deputy director Kirti Chuadhary confirmed Devi’s death in leopard attack and expressed grief. “Forest teams have been deployed to monitor leopard’s movement and to capture it after obtaining necessary permission from the authorities,” she said.

Chaudhary added that compensation would be given to the family and asked people to stay on alert for big cat movements in the area. She also urged people not to sleep in the open or work alone in the fields, especially during evening and night hours.

“Location of the errant big cat would be traced through patrolling and drone cameras, besides placing cages to capture the animal.” Nighasan sub-divisional officer Manoj Tiwari said.

This is the second fatality in big cat attacks reported from the Dudhwa buffer zone this month and sixth such case since January 10, pointing to a worrying pattern in the region.