Leopard walks UP village, three injured

Leopard walks UP village, three injured
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, JULY 23: The people of Ooncha Amirpur, and its surrounding areas in the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, have had an unlikely visitor for the last few nights -- a leopard.

The first one to be attacked, almost a week ago, was a housewife, Rehana, living on the outskirts of the village. The big cat's swipe left her with a seriously injured face. The leopard escaped after the attack. Rehana was rushed to the nearby NTPC hospital, from where the doctors referred her to a Delhi hospital.

The following night, the leopard attacked the neighbouring village, Kharoda, where it is said to have attacked one Dataram and his grandson Sonu. They were saved only after the villagers raised an alarm.

Earlier, in the same village, the animal entered the house of Subhash, who escaped after he locked himself into one of the rooms.

Thereafter, the leopard entered the fields belonging to Nathu, where the villagers tried to surround the leopard and trap it. They had no success. All they are said to have found was the carcasses of dogs and about half a dozen jackals.

The terror of the leopard can be gauged from the fact that the villagers are keeping a constant vigil and always move in groups. Sarpanch Devendra Singh Sisodia has alleged that the authorities are not taking the matter seriously.

When contacted, the authorities said that they are still to identify the pug marks. ``We are yet to identify the pug marks. Only then we can confirm whether it is a leopard or not,'' said Anand Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gautam Budh Nagar.