A leopard entered a house in Beni Budruk (Kusumalewadi) village in Ratnagiri district's Lanja taluka while a family was watching television on Wednesday night, injuring two people before fleeing into a nearby forest.
Santosh Govind Surve (50) and Harshad Rajendra Surve (19), both residents of the village, were initially treated at Lanja Rural Hospital. Santosh, who sustained severe head and ear injuries and suffered heavy bleeding, was later shifted to Ratnagiri District Hospital.
According to forest department officials, Santosh Surve and his family were inside their home around 9pm when a leopard entered through the back door. Startled by the family's reaction and unable to find an exit, the trapped animal attacked Surve. He managed to fend it off after a brief struggle.
Hearing the commotion, Harshad Surve, who lives nearby, rushed to the house just as the leopard was escaping through the front door. The animal attacked him as well before fleeing into the adjoining forest amid the chaos.
Santosh suffered claw injuries to his head, face and hand, while Harshad sustained injuries to his head and hand. “The attack by a leopard in a densely populated village has spread fear in our region. The villagers are demanding that the forest department immediately take control of the leopard. The forest department should provide immediate compensation to the injured,” said village sarpanch Paresh Khanwilkar.
A senior Ratnagiri forest department official said, “We have increased patrolling and have installed trap cameras in the surrounding area to trace the leopard. Awareness programmes are being conducted in the surrounding villages. Villagers are appealed to stay alert.”
