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The officials of Sihawa Forest Range on Thursday finally succeeded in trapping a 'killer' leopard, that had reportedly killed as many as three children near Shringi Rishi Ashram in Dhamtari district - a tourist spot.
As per reports, on October 11, Ami Markam, a resident of Turudihi village under Raighar block in Nabarangpur district, went to Devi Sitala's temple in Chhattisgarh with family members. While returning from the temple, the leopard attacked the family and dragged Ami. Ami was killed by the wild cat in the incident.
The leopard had earlier killed 2 other minors and this was the third incident, sources informed.
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Following the incidents, panicked local residents and tourists demanded immediate action to trap the wild cat.
A team of forest officials then prepared a blueprint and laid four cages in the area with goats as the bait. Though the officials were waiting for several days to see the carnivore trapped, their mission was successful on Thursday night when the leopard finally walked into the bait laid to trap.
"We had laid 4 cage traps with baits near Shringi Rishi Ashram and were patiently waiting for many days. The wild cat was trapped on Thursday night. We will release it in the forest far away from human habitat," said Harish Pandey, Forest Official, Sihawa.
"Our topmost priority is to ensure the safety of people. We will lay more traps to catch other leopards if any, based on the reports of the locals. We will also take steps to spread awareness among all so that such incidents don't get repeated," he added.
