NEW DELHI: Eight people were injured after a leopard entered a house in north Delhi and attacked villagers in the early hours of Monday, a police officer said.
The leopard was caught after a 4-hour operation that involved police, fire brigade and the forest department. Of the eight injured, three are identified as Mahender, Akash, and Rampal, all residents of Jagatpur village near Wazirabad.
DCP (North) Manoj Kumar Meena said at 6.14 am, a PCR call was received at Wazirabad police station about a leopard entering a house at Gali No-3 in the village. Many officials from the forest and fire departments, along with the police were involved in the animal rescue operation. “The leopard was confined in a room, and then caught,” said the DCP.
Panic gripped the village as the news about the leopard spread. The house where the leopard first entered belongs to Mahender Singh, a retired government employee. While the wild cat injured his two sons, Singh, his two daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren had a close shave.
Naresh, who runs a dairy in Jagatpur, said the leopard first attacked his son, who is undergoing treatment. “My pet dogs started barking around 6 am. When I came outside, I saw the leopard right in front of me. I ran upstairs and the leopard entered my dairy,” he said.
“When we called the Forest Department, they kept asking us to send a video of the animal. My son was on the terrace and was attacked by the leopard,” Naresh said.