'Guj 'man eater' leopard might have entered Madhya Pradesh'

A leopard on the prowl that killed three persons in Dhanpur taluka in Gujarat's Dahod district last month might have crossed into neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, a senior Forest official said Saturday.

Despite their efforts, the forest personnel in Gujarat could not capture the "man eater" big cat, even ten days after it killed two children and an elderly woman in different forest areas in the taluka, the official said.

"Based on the pug marks, we suspect that the leopard has crossed into Madhya Pradesh. We have informed the forest staff there to stay alert as the leopard had killed three persons here (Dahod district)," said Deputy Conservator of Forests (Dahod) J L Zala.

Forest officials in the neighbouring state have been informed about the movement of the big cat.

Responding to a query, he said the Forest department in Gujarat will continue with its effort to capture the feline.

As many as 120 forest personnel have been deployed in the area and eleven cages are set up to capture the leopard, he said.

Apart from this, two personnel have been deployed with tranquilliser guns, he said.

A local MLA had earlier sought permission requesting that the forest personnel be allowed to gun down the big cat.

The leopard had killed Asmita Pasaya (10) from Dumka village on November 21 and Jyotsna Parmar (11) from Khalta village the next day. In another attack, it killed a 64-year-old woman in Vasiya Dungri forest.

Meanwhile, one Manjuben Patel (26) was injured when she was attacked by another leopard in Antela village in Baria forest range in Dahod district last evening, a Forest official said Saturday.

She was shifted to Baria civil hospital with injuries in her thigh and a hand, he said.