Naduvattam, Tamil Nadu (April 29, 2025): A leopard entered a police station in Naduvattam, a small town in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district, on Monday evening, but no one was injured thanks to the quick response of an on-duty officer. The incident, which occurred around 8:25 PM, was captured on CCTV footage and shared by Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. In the 47-second clip, the leopard is seen walking through an unguarded open door before turning around to leave. After reaching the patio, the leopard briefly stops to look around while the officer calmly emerges and closes the door behind it.
Once the leopard walks away, the officer leans out to check if it has left and then shuts the door. The animal is seen taking a ramp toward the road and disappearing into the dark.
Sahu praised the officer’s composure in handling the situation. “A leopard decided to inspect the Naduvattam Police Station in Nilgiris. Hats off to the police person on duty who calmly closed the door and called forest officials. No one was hurt. The leopard went back safely to the forest,” Sahu wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The incident has garnered attention on social media. One user joked, “Must have come to report in a poacher!” Another user added, “Looks like the leopard wanted to file a 'paws-itive' report! Guess he left when he saw the station was 'claw-sed' for the day.”
The police station is located near a forest, which allows wildlife to roam the area. However, this was the first time a leopard had entered the station.