A six-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard in a village in Uttarakhand's Pauri district, officials said on Tuesday.
Aditya was playing in the courtyard of his maternal grandparents' home in Kota village of Rikhnikhal block at 7.30 pm on Monday when the leopard pounced on him, caught him in his jaws and ran into the forest, Garhwal DFO Swapnil Anirudh said.
His mother and grandmother, sitting nearby, screamed for help. The locals gathered and started searching for the child. His half-eaten body was recovered hours later at around 1.30 am from the forest nearly one kilometre away from the spot where the child was assaulted by the leopard, Mr Anirudh said.
Eight cameras have been installed in the area to trace the leopard, he said. Four cages are being put up to trap the leopard and a team of forest personnel armed with tranquilizer guns is being deployed in the area, the DFO said.
Lansdowne MLA Dilip Rawat expressed grief over the incident saying the fear of big cats is also a reason behind continued migration from the hills.
He will raise the issue in the state assembly to find a permanent solution when its monsoon session begins in Gairsain on Wednesday, he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Woman, 65, Dies In Uttarakhand's Raging Forest Fire UP Boy's Mutilated Body Found In Bushes Hours After Taken Away By Leopard Curfew In 25 Uttarakhand Villages After Tiger Kills 2 Men In A Week Russia's Firing Of ICBM On Ukraine Is Weapon's 1st Combat Use In History Amazon Employee Greets Friend At Wedding, Dies Of Cardiac Arrest This Asian City Is Emerging As Sex Tourism Hub. It's Not Where You Think PM Modi: Culture, Cuisine, Cricket Strengthen India-Guyana Ties Elon Musk Slams Australia's Plan To Ban Social Media For Kids Under 16 Assam Chief Minister Unveils These Facilities At Legislative Complex Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.