Leopard attacks in UP claim teen's life woman seriously injured

Bahraich/Gorakhpur, Jul 29 (PTI) Leopard attacks in two districts of Uttar Pradesh have left a teenager dead and a woman injured, creating an environment of fear and panic among locals.
     Sanjana, 14, was on her way to agricultural fields when a leopard mauled her to death in the Katariniaghat Wildlife Division in Bahraich on Monday, police said.
     According to eyewitnesses, the leopard, which was hiding behind the bushes, pounced on the girl and caught her by her neck. When the girl screamed for help, villagers rushed to the site to rescue her.
     The teenager was severely injured and was referred to the district medical college in Bahraich, where doctors declared her "brought dead".
     The body has been sent for postmortem, the police said. Her family has been given Rs 5,000 assistance and will be given Rs 5 lakh compensation after completion of formalities in accordance with the state's policy, officials said.
     In another incident in Gorakhpur on Monday, Geeta Devi was out for a morning walk when she was attacked by a leopard, leaving her seriously injured.
     She was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors administered anti-rabies vaccines and gave her six stitches. Initially, the injuries were suspected to be caused by a dog, but doctors raised doubts, a local forest official said.
     The CCTV footage from a nearby building, shared by a friend of her son, showed a leopard roaming in the area around 4 AM, confirming the attack by the leopard, the official said.
     District Forest Officer Vikas Yadav urged residents to stay indoors and keep their homes locked as an operation was underway to capture the leopard.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)