NUAPADA: Shockwaves spread in the area after a 7-year-old boy was reportedly mauled to death by a leopard at Katingpani Gaudhashpada village inside Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary here on Monday evening. The deceased was identified as Damudhar Dharua. His body was found around 200 metres away from the village.
Sources said the incident took place in the evening when the boy was playing outside his house. All of a sudden, a leopard reached the spot, grabbed the kid by his neck and dragged him into the nearby forest. Some villagers noticed the leopard dragging the boy and chased it. As the big cat disappeared, they searched for the boy who was later found near a large rock in the forest, around 200 metres from the village.
On being informed, forest officials rushed to the spot and seized the body. Ranger Gajendrapal Singh Mathur said prima facie, it appears that the leopard might have thought the kid to be another animal and attacked him out of fear.“The boy’s body has been sent for autopsy. The deceased’s family will get a compensation of Rs 6 lakh after proper investigation. An amount of Rs 60,000 will be given to the family by Tuesday,” he said.
Sources said panic has gripped residents of Katingpani Gaudhashpada and nearby villages following the incident. Mathur said forest personnel are sensitising the villagers to restrict their movement and remain cautious. Earlier in May 2017, a leopard had mauled a four-year-old boy to death in Haldi village under Dumerpani gram panchayat in Sadar block.