Leopard mauls farmer to death near wildlife sanctuary in UP's Bahraich

Bahraich (UP), Nov 13 (PTI) A 55-year-old farmer was mauled to death by a leopard in a field adjoining a forest area here under the Kakraha Range of the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary on Thursday, officials said.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Suraj told PTI that the incident took place around 3 pm in Dharmapur Bezha village in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district when the victim, Bhikhan Arya, was working in his sugarcane field.

A leopard pounced on him, killing him on the spot, the official said.

Police and forest department personnel reached the spot soon after the incident and the farmer's body was sent for postmortem examination, the DFO said.

He said leopard movement was reported in the area last year, but there had been no sightings this year.

"The attack appears to be sudden. Villagers are being advised to remain cautious and avoid going out alone, especially near forested areas," Suraj said. PTI COR ABN ARB ARB ARB