An 11-year-old boy died after a frightening encounter with a leopard in Umberkon village, Igatpuri taluka, on Saturday evening. The incident caused panic in the area as forest department officials and staff quickly set up a cage following the boy's attack on Thursday. The boy had been hospitalized for treatment. Additionally, the leopard attacked six forest guards and six villagers during the rescue operation.
Among the injured were villagers Karthik Mohan Sarukte (25), Satish Vishnu Sarukte (37), Kisan Govind Sarukte (45), Yash Khandu Borade (18), Shravan Bhima Chimte (25), and Rajaram Ramdas Shinde (31). Additionally, forest personnel including Faiz Ali Jaffer Ali Syed (30), Bhausaheb Ganpat Rao (51), Gorakh Devram Bagul (49), Vitthal Pundalik Gawande (51), Chintaman Devram Gadar (33), and Kailas Laxman Potinde (34) were admitted to Ghoti Government Hospital for treatment.
The incident unfolded as 11-year-old Praveen Sarukte was in a sugarcane field with his parents near their farm, just 200 meters from their house. The leopard attacked him, but his parents' resistance and shouts scared the leopard away, saving the child. Praveen was later admitted to a private hospital in Ghoti for treatment, where he died during the treatment.
Despite attempts to capture the leopard, the situation worsened on Friday morning as a group of two to three hundred villagers gathered. The leopard mauled and wounded six villagers along with six forest guards. A team from Nashik was summoned to aid in capturing the elusive leopard. Pankaj Garg, the Conservator of Forests of Nashik West Division, led around 130 officers and forest personnel from Igatpuri, Trimbakeshwar, and Sinnar in the search operation.
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As of today, the leopard remains at large, causing apprehension in the village while authorities persist in their endeavors to ensure the safety of the residents.