A leopard was hit by a vehicle in Raisen district on Wednesday night. Its body as well as the carcass of a half-eaten cow that it had killed was found near the road in Silwani, nearly 80kms from the district headquarters.
A commuter, who spotted the body on Thursday, informed the forest officials about the incident.
On receiving the information, wildlife officials and local police reached the spot, Jamuniya Ghati, seven kms from Silwani on Bhopal-Silwani road.
According to the district forest officer, NK Saxena, after an on-the-spot investigation, it became clear that the leopard was hit by a vehicle and received traumatic head injury. As a result, it died.
Saxena said that after post-mortem, the last rites of the leopard were performed as per norms.
In another incident, MP forest officials arrested two persons hailing from Kel Jhiri village of Harda district on Thursday and recovered nails and four paws, belonging to a young tiger.
Forest officials said the accused had gone to sell the nails and paws to a person in Betul district's Chichli area. The buyer was later arrested on a tip-off.