Mumbai: BEST driver rescues woman attacked on road by leopard

BEST driver Dipesh Sunil Awade points out the spot near Adarsh Nagar where the attack took place. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Timely intervention by a BEST driver on Friday night helped save the life of a woman injured in a human-leopard conflict incident at Aarey Milk Colony. The incident took place at around 7 pm, when Sarita Gurav, 38, was walking on the road, near a forest patch.

A BEST bus driver, Dipesh Sunil Awade, was ferrying passengers along the same stretch, at around that time, when he spotted the leopard attacking the woman. Speaking with mid-day, Awade said, "While I was driving towards Adarsh Nagar, I reached a sharp turn and was shocked to see a leopard attacking a woman. She was lying a few metres away from my bus and the leopard was right next to her. I started honking and everyone in the bus also began screaming. The leopard immediately fled into the bushes."

Awade was about to get down from the bus to rescue the injured woman, when he noticed her approach his vehicle. As the location where the incident took place did not have street lights, the driver turned on the headlights. "I opened the door on my side and helped her board the bus. The lady was in a state of shock, and had injuries to her back," said Awade, who then rushed her to her locality.

Sarita Gurav, 38, was walking on the road, near a forest patch, when the leopard attacked her

As news trickled in, around 300 people gathered near a local clinic, where Gurav was given first-aid. She was then taken to the BMC-run Balasahab Thackeray Trauma Centre in the Forest Department vehicle. Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Girija Desai, Range Forest Officer (RFO) Rakesh Bhoir, along with the Mumbai Range staff and SGNP staff arrived at the hospital, and later visited the site where the conflict happened.

Also Read: Mumbai: Leopard attacks 38-year-old woman in Aarey colony

Volunteers from the Aarey Camera Trapping team, including Kunal Chaudhari, Imran Udat, Satish Lot, Wasim Athaniya, Hitendra Pachakale, Pushpak Tanavde, Shahid Khan, along with Rohit Mohite from NGO WWA and volunteers Raj Jadhav, Prasad Khandagale, Aditya Shinde, and Sai Awade were present on the ground to assist the forest department in setting up more camera traps and the trap cage.

When contacted, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Santosh Saste said, "The incident is unfortunate. The process of giving her compensation has already begun. More than 30 camera traps are already active in the area and four trap cages have been installed to trap the suspected leopard behind the attack. Our teams are also doing night patrolling and conducting awareness sessions at Aarey Milk Colony."

Attacks continue

October 4, 2022: Himanshu Avdesh Yadav, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, was attacked when he stepped out with his father

October 24, 2022: Sixteen-month-old Etika Akhilesh Lot was killed in a leopard at Unit 15

November 6, 2022: Ram Yadav, 61, suffered minor injuries, when he was attacked near Unit 15