Lucknow: A leopard strayed into a densely populated village in Bahraich on Friday morning and injured seven people in a sudden attack, prompting a rescue and search operation by the forest department and police.The incident took place at around 10 am in Hamidpur Khairatiya village. According to officials, villagers first spotted the leopard moving through the residential area and immediately alerted the forest department and local police.A team led by range officer Shakib Hasan, along with Ramgaon station house officer, or SHO, Gurusen Singh and police personnel, rushed to the village to secure the area and launch a rescue operation. However, before the teams could cordon off the location, a large number of villagers gathered at the spot and reportedly attempted to chase the animal away.As the crowd closed in, the leopard suddenly turned aggressive and charged at the villagers, attacking indiscriminately and leaving seven people injured within moments.The injured were immediately shifted to the District Hospital in Bahraich. Hospital officials said all the victims sustained injuries in the attack and are being kept under medical observation.Following the attack, the leopard escaped into adjoining agricultural fields, leading to an intensive search operation.Divisional forest officer (DFO) Sundaresha said teams have been deployed to track and safely capture the leopard. Cages are being installed at strategic locations, while forest personnel are maintaining a close vigil in the area to prevent any further attacks.The DFO appealed to residents not to panic or attempt to confront the animal if it is spotted again.
