‘Leopard’ attacks domestic help, forest guard in Dasna

GHAZIABAD: A leopard, which was captured by a CCTV camera in Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar locality early Wednesday , reportedly injured two people in Dasna on Saturday afternoon.

According to officials, the leopard is a 7 foot long adult. Officials of the divisional forest department said they have brought in cages to trap the animal, and one of the cages has been placed near Adhyatmik Nagar on the outskirts of Ghaziabad.

“We are suspecting that it is the same leopard, which was captured in a CCTV camera in Raj Nagar, which injured the two people in Dasna. Our teams had launched a search for the leopard. It came out in the open in Dasna on Saturday. As locals rushed to see the animal, it panicked and injured one person and one of our forest guards before it went into hiding again. The victims have sustained injuries on their hands, face and other body parts,”said Ashok Gupta, forest range officer, Ghaziabad.

“The distance between the two locations (Raj Nagar and Adhyatmik Nagar) is about 8-10kms. We have roped in teams from Meerut and Ghaziabad, who have tranquillizer guns. We will try to capture the leopard in our cages as it might change its location at night,” said Gupta.

The two injured were identified as Chandan Kumar (28), who works as a domestic help. He was working at a house in Dasna when the leopard entered and attacked him. He was immediately rushed to the hospital after the attack. The injured forest guard was identified as Sunil Rathi, who is recuperating at Sanjay Nagar Combined District Hospital. “Rathi has been kept under observation and we have administered anti-rabies and immunoglobulins, beside providing other medication. He has received deep wounds on his forehead and shoulder,” said Dr Sanjay Teotia, chief medical superintendent of the district hospital.

Dasna, falling under the jurisdiction of Masuri police station area in Ghaziabad, is adjacent to national highway 9 and is surrounded by dense vegetation and open agricultural fields.

Police said that they have advised residents to keep a watch and stay indoors especially at night.