Tamil Nadu. The Forest Department has intensified the operation to catch the leopard that attacked and killed a six-year-old girl in Valparai town of Coimbatore district. On Saturday, Absar Khatun was with her parents and several other children near the Osimalai tea garden (estate). During this time, a leopard suddenly came from the nearby forest and dragged her away.
Hearing the screams of the parents, the residents came to help. They immediately informed the police and forest department officials. Police and forest department employees immediately reached the spot and succeeded in driving away the leopard, but the girl was seriously injured by then. The girl was immediately rushed to the Valparai Government Hospital for treatment, where doctors declared her dead. The girl was originally the daughter of a migrant laborer from Jharkhand. Absar Khatun’s family was living in the labor quarters of the estate as laborers in the Osimalai tea garden.
Forest officials told IANS that trap cameras have been installed at six places around Osimalai Estate to monitor the leopard’s movements. It is believed that the leopard is still present in the area. According to the report, a leopard killed a cow near Osimalai Estate two weeks ago. The animal could not be traced despite the search at that time. As a precaution, the forest department has started clearing the dense bushes around the estate, as leopards are known to take refuge in such areas.
Let us tell you that in January 2024, a leopard killed two people, including a three-year-old girl and a woman, in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, while four others were injured in the leopard attack. However, the forest department team caught the leopard after a lot of hard work.
