In a suspected case of a leopard attack, a 11-year old boy, who had gone missing from T Narsipura Taluk here, has been found dead, police said on Sunday.
According to sources, this is said to be the second such human death in the last 48 hours, and the fourth since November 2022 in the taluk.
The boy, identified as Jayanth, had gone missing from Horalahalli village of the taluk on Saturday evening, and his mauled body was found about one kilometre away on the outskirts of the village amidst shrubs, police said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government had taken the incident seriously and added that all measures were being taken to capture the leopard at the earliest. Also, compensation will be given to the boy's family soon, he told reporters in Mysuru's Nanjanagudu.
Stating that he has gathered information regarding the incident, Mr Bommai said, "the places where last three incidents of leopard attacks have taken place are in the radius of 3 km, so I have telephoned the Conservator of Forests and have directed the Forest department to do detailed combing, with the help of special teams by taking men from other districts, and to do all that is required for the capture of the leopard." Instructions have been given to deploy special armed watch staff to ensure that no more lives are lost, and also to create awareness among people, he added.
Earlier, angry locals staged a protest blocking the road in T Narsipura. They alleged the leopard had apparently taken away the boy from the main road of the village. They said a search was launched on receiving a complaint on Saturday. Police along with the help of locals looked for the boy but later disbanded the search due to darkness. On resuming the search this morning, the body was found.
According to forest officials, combing operations are on to trap the leopard.
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