Leopard that entered IIT-Bombay still at large

The operation to spot and trap the leopard that entered a lab at IIT- Bombay in Powai on Wednesday morning entered its third day on Friday, but the Thane Forest Department along with the leopard rescue team of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) were unable in their efforts to find the spotted feline.

According to Thane DFO Kishor Thakare, " The leopard has not been trapped yet. On Friday, the FD team searched the area by sending robot and also armed personnel inside the hall, but no sighting. Trap cameras are fitted inside to record movement if any. A cage with bait has been kept inside and the FD is waiting for further movement."

On Wednesay morning, a lab assistant working with IIT-Bombay who had gone to open the metallurgy lab at the campus got the shock of his life when he saw a leopard hiding behind a generator. Scared, the assistant still had the presence of mind to down the shutter behind him before rushing off to inform the college authorities.

The SGNP and Thane Forest Department rescue team rushed to the spot and stated the rescue operations. The feline was finally traced late in the evening. FD officials said that the team had seen the leopard late last night and ensured that all the openings to the hall were closed so that the leopard couldn't escape. What was more surprising was the fact that while the FD team and police officials were standing on the road outside the lab waiting for the leopard to walk into the cage that was set inside, another leopard crossed the road.