Girl dragged out of home, killed by leopard

Lucknow: A nine-year-old girl sleeping in the verandah was dragged out of her house and killed by a leopard in Bahraich district, police said on Tuesday. The girl, Anshika, daughter of Om Prakash, resident of Tapra Bazaar village under Sujauli police station limits, was grabbed by the animal and dragged towards the nearby forest.

Hearing her screams, relatives and villagers rushed out and launched a frantic search operation using torches and sticks. Leopard pugmarks were found near the house, prompting villagers to comb the surrounding fields and forest areas.

After over an hour’s search, Anshika was found critically injured in a sugarcane field near Sautiya Nala, about 200 metres from her home. She had sustained severe injuries to her face, neck and other parts of the body, with deep bite marks and a grievously damaged windpipe. Her father picked her up and ran towards the hospital, but the child succumbed to her injuries on the way.

Anshika was a Class II student at a local primary school and youngest of three siblings. Her father is a farmer.

According to the village head, the forest area of the Katarniaghat Wildlife region begins barely 300 metres from the village and incidents involving leopards and tigers are reported frequently in the area. Villagers said a cyclist had also been attacked by a leopard nearly an hour before the fatal incident.

Sujauli ranger Rohit Kumar said a cage was installed to capture the leopard and patrolling in the area had been intensified. Sujauli SHO, Prakash Chandra Sharma, said the body was sent for post mortem.