TIRUPATI: A leopard strayed into a guest house atop Tirumala hill late Monday night, creating panic among pilgrims and sending the authorities into a tizzy late.
Two devotees from Hyderabad were trapped on the first floor of the guesthouse in Padmavati Nagar even as the leopard prowled inside the duplex construction.
After more than an hour and a half after it was initially sighted, the leopard presumably escaped into the jungles by jumping from the balcony of the first floor in the rear of the building.
TTD joint executive officer (JEO) K S Srinivasa Raju said: "The leopard has escaped into the forest. There is no need to panic. Forest officials have confirmed that it has disappeared into the jungle."
At around 8.50 pm, staff of Narsinga Sadan guest house in Padmavati Nagar were having their dinner when one of them saw the leopard entering the lounge of the guest house from the rear of the building. They ran out and locked the glass doors from outside before shouting for help. All the inmates were told on the public address system to lock their rooms and remain indoors. As the news spread, pilgrims in adjacent buildings got panicky and reportedly tried to run out but officials warned them to stay indoors until the situation was brought under control.
The guest house is a duplex-type construction with eight suites. Of the eight rooms, three were occupied by artistes from Hyderabad who came to participate in the Nada Neerajanam musical programme of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. At around 6 pm, some of the inmates left to participate in the programme, while around three of them reportedly stayed back in the rooms.
Upon receiving information, wildlife officials, police and TTD staff rushed to the spot. After making attempts to locate the leopard inside the guest house, a six member team along with nets and tranquilisers entered the building. However, they did not find the leopard. It is suspected that due to the noise outside the building, the leopard panicked and jumped off the first floor balcony from the rear side of the building and vanished into the valley.
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11:19 pm
Leopard escaped from Narasinga Sadan and vanished in the valley. Pilgrims trapped inside are safe.
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