The panther was later shifted to Kota zoo. (Representational image)
A four-year-old panther left three people injured after it strayed into a village in Rajasthan, police said. The panther was sighted in Laxmipura village on Sunday morning, following which a rescue team was called in to capture the wild cat, said Kota DSP (Rural) Gopal Singh Lakhawat.
But before the rescue team could reach the village, the panther had already triggered panic among villagers as it attacked the chasing crowd and injured three of the villagers, he said.
The injured villagers, who suffered minor injuries, were later treated at a hospital and discharged.
The Forest Department team could reach the village only around 2 pm and launched its operation to capture the animal. The panther was finally tranquillized at around 4.30 pm, the police officer said.
Kota Divisional Forest Officer Jodhraj Singh said the rescue team faced difficulty due to the huge crowd, which had to be persuaded by the officials to stay aside for smooth conduct of the operation.
The panther was later shifted to Kota zoo where it would be kept under observation for a few days, Mr Singh said.
The rescued panther is a male and weighs about 50 kilograms, said veterinary doctor Akhilesh Kumar Pandey, who examined the animal.