Mumbai: 18-month-old girl mauled to death by leopard at Aarey Colony

An 18-month-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard at Goregaon’s Aarey Colony, which lies adjacent to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, early on Monday morning, officials said. The toddler was with her mother when the leopard pounced on her.

“The mother of the victim had gone to a temple at 5.45 am on Monday near their house and Itika followed her. She was attacked by a leopard. Many locals raised an alarm and the leopard ran away,” said Sanjay Gandhi National Park director G Mallikarjun. Mallikarjun said the girl, a resident of Unit no 15, sustained serious injuries to her neck in the attack which led to her death. Aarey colony is a green belt located next to Sanjay Gandhi National Park and it is not unusual for leopards to come to Aarey.