Lucknow: A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured after a leopard entered her home and attacked her while she was sleeping in Bahraich district’s Maheshpur area early Wednesday, triggering panic in villages located near forested tracts.The incident occurred around 2 am in Rajapur Girant village under the Velhan gram panchayat in Mihipurwa tehsil, within Motipur police station limits. Residents said Jai Kala, wife of Shankar, was asleep inside her house when the leopard slipped into the premises and pounced on her, leaving her with injuries.Her screams alerted neighbours, who rushed to the spot. The leopard fled as villagers gathered, residents said. The woman was then taken with the help of locals to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Mihipurwa, where doctors provided treatment.Katarniaghat divisional forest officer Apoorv Dixit confirmed the attack and said the forest department had begun steps to track and capture the animal. “The leopard attack has been confirmed. Combing operations are underway in the area, and cages will be set up to capture the animal,” Dixit said.Forest personnel have been conducting searches in and around the village to locate the leopard and monitor its movement, officials said, adding that measures were being taken to prevent further incidents of human-wildlife conflict. After receiving information, a forest department team visited the village and inspected the site.Wildlife protector Deepak Kumar Singh spoke with residents to document the animal’s movement and the circumstances of the attack.Villagers told officials the forest lies about 800 metres from homes and said leopards are frequently sighted. Residents demanded heightened surveillance and quicker preventive action amid repeated movement of big cats in the area.
