Leopard enters residential area; attacks 2, 1 hurt in melee

Two people were injured in an attack by a leopard and another person got hurt after falling while trying to run away from the animal which entered a residential area in Pune district of Maharashtra on Monday, police said.

The feline later fell into the duct of an under- construction building in Keshav Nagar area as it panicked when a large number of people gathered there, an official at Mundhwa police station said.

Efforts were on to rescue the animal from the duct.

"Between 5 am and 6 am on Monday, the leopard was spotted in the area, which has several under-construction housing projects and is fairly populated. The animal attacked two people, including an old woman, causing injuries to them," the official said.

Besides, one person received minor injuries when he fell down while trying to escape from the spot, he said.

When several people gathered there, the leopard got frightened and fell into the duct of an under-construction building, the official said.

Forest officials, police and fire brigade personnel were making all efforts to rescue the big cat, he said.

All the injured persons were rushed to a nearby hospital, he added.