Satara: The body of a leopard was found on a tree at the foot of the south gate of Ajinkyatara Fort on Wednesday evening. Shockingly, another body of a minor was found right below the tree. The exact nature of the incident is yet to be ascertained and the facts will come out only after the post-mortem report, police said.
A 17-year-old girl from Nagthane area had gone missing from her house 20 days ago. A complaint was lodged at Borgaon police station. Meanwhile, on Wednesday afternoon, some residents noticed a strong smell emanating from the side of the south gate. When they went there, they found the decomposed body of a young woman and the carcass of a leopard on a tree. The residents informed Satara city police inspector Rajendra Maske after the bodies were found at the same place.
Maske then sent police sub-inspectors Sudhir More, Anil Shirole, Sujit Bhosale, Irfan Pathan, Pankaj Mohite, and others to the spot. The team rushed there and conducted a panchnama of the bodies. Forest department officials and staff also reached the spot. It is suspected that the girl may have committed suicide by jumping off the Ajinkyatara fort. It is speculated that the leopard may have died after getting stuck in both branches of the tree. However, only after the post-mortem report will we know the exact nature of the incident.
The girl's clothes, anklet, water bottle, and bag were recovered from the spot. The bag and water bottle have been crushed. It is not yet known whether the leopard or any other animal did it.