A two-year-old boy was killed in a leopard attack in Nhalewadi village of Satara district on Saturday night, forest officials said.
The child, identified as Jay Sandeep Khandagale, was carried away by the leopard towards adjoining agricultural fields. His father, Sandeep Khandagale, raised the alarm after realising the boy had not returned home, prompting family members and villagers to search in the darkness.
Sandeep, an agricultural labourer, lives with his family in a house surrounded by sugarcane fields.
Recalling the incident, Sandeep said he returned home around 7pm and was feeding cattle when the electricity supply was interrupted. He then went inside the house and spent some time playing with Jay.
“Jay told me that he wanted to urinate, so I asked him to step outside through the main door and return soon. When he did not return even after 15 minutes, I went out looking for him and called out his name several times. There was no response. I called out again after walking a little further and heard a sound from near a stream,” he said.
Sandeep said he and his brother headed towards the stream and found blood-stained clothes on the way. By then, other villagers had also joined the search.
With the area plunged into darkness, residents used torches to trace the animal’s route through the agricultural fields. Jay was eventually found severely injured around 300 metres from his house. The leopard abandoned him near a field boundary, residents said.
{{/usCountry}}With the area plunged into darkness, residents used torches to trace the animal’s route through the agricultural fields. Jay was eventually found severely injured around 300 metres from his house. The leopard abandoned him near a field boundary, residents said.
{{/usCountry}}Jay was rushed to Satara Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The incident sparked anger among villagers, who alleged that they had repeatedly alerted the forest department about leopard sightings in the area but that adequate preventive measures had not been taken. Residents said they had submitted both written and verbal complaints and sought protection for families living close to agricultural fields.
Amol Satpute, deputy conservator of forests, Satara, said the department had inspected the site and initiated measures to capture the leopard.
“We have installed 10 camera traps and cages near the site to capture the leopard. Efforts are underway to capture the animal at the earliest,” he said.
Satara taluka police inspector Nilesh Tambe said forest department officials and personnel reached the village after the incident and assured residents that efforts would be made to capture the leopard at the earliest.
“Senior officials were also examining whether complaints about leopard sightings had been received earlier,” he said.
Villagers have demanded the immediate installation of additional cages, increased night patrols and stronger protection for houses bordering the sugarcane fields. They also raised concerns over frequent power interruptions, saying the darkness made it harder for residents to spot wild animals and respond quickly during emergencies.