Uttarakhand: Elderly woman killed in leopard attack in Pauri

Kotdwar, Nov 13 (PTI) A man-eating leopard attacked and killed an elderly woman in the Pokhra area of ​​Pauri district in Uttarakhand on Thursday.

Officials said the incident occurred at around 11:30 am in Bagdi village when Rani Devi (65) was cutting grass in the field.

They said her daughter-in-law, who was cutting grass with Devi, had returned home to prepare lunch shortly before the incident.

According to officials, when Devi did not return home by 2 pm, her daughter-in-law and another woman from the village went to the fields to look for her, where they saw the leopard from a distance and raised an alarm.

Hearing the noise, villagers rushed to the scene and, with great difficulty, drove the leopard away.

Officials said Rani Devi's body was later recovered nearby, with deep wounds on her neck.

Upon receiving information, the administration and forest department team arrived at the scene, took possession of the body and sent it for post-mortem.

Divisional Forest Officer of the Garhwal Forest Department, Abhimanyu Singh, told PTI that a 15-member team has been deployed in the area for security purposes, and three cameras have also been installed.

He said that upon receiving orders from higher authorities, a cage will be installed in the area, and the victim's family will soon receive compensation.

Forest officials have appealed to people in the area not to venture into the fields or outside alone.

Four days ago, a leopard attacked a woman in Alkhet village, a few kilometres away, injuring her. PTI DPT AMJ AMJ