A wave of panic swept through villages near the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary after a leopard entered a home in Kakaraha village, located in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district, and attempted to drag away a seven-year-old girl while she slept inside a mosquito net.
The incident occurred around 3 a.m. on Saturday. According to villagers, the leopard entered the house of Chunna and attacked his daughter, Shahiba, who was sleeping on a cot next to her mother. The big cat seized the child in its jaws and tried to pull her away.
Shahiba's mother woke up upon hearing her screams and attempted to stop the leopard. Her cries alerted other family members and nearby villagers, who rushed to the scene. As people gathered and shouted, the leopard released the child and fled toward the nearby forest.
Shahiba sustained injuries to her head, stomach, and other parts of her body. Her family first took her to the community health centre in Mihipurwa and later transferred her to Bahraich Medical College for advanced treatment.
The attack has heightened fear in villages bordering the sanctuary, where leopard sightings have been reported frequently in recent months.
Apoorva Dixit, the Divisional Forest Officer, stated that two forest department teams have been dispatched to the village, and surveillance has been intensified to monitor leopard movement in the area.
