Woman falls prey to leopard attack in Junnar district

Terror of leopard attack in Junnar has created a panic in the vicinity ever since a leopard attacked and ran away with a 60-year-old woman on Wednesday in Junner-Ambegaon district on Tuesday night.

The deceased Sakhubai Hile (60) was sleeping on the passage of her house when the incident is said to have happened.

According to Junnar police, "Due to rise in temperature, the villagers prefer to sleep in open spaces near their houses. The forest officials found her body near desert area around 12 midnight. It was suspected that, the leopard has attacked the woman near her home and then taken her away which impacted her death."

In the past, two people have already lost their life by falling prey to leopard attacks. The forest department have captured four leopards from the region of the Pune district in recent operations.

Inspector Kailash Pingale in-charge of Junnar police station attached to Pune rural police said, "The Pune District collector Saurabh Rao held a special meeting to discuss the issue with the forest department officials and instructed the concerned officials to look after the safety of the villagers in the region. The forest officials are also instructed to give training to the villagers for their protection and to avoid direct conflict between leopard and human. The district administration has also directed the concern authorities to avoid electricity cuts in the area as it could cause danger in such a situation.

The team of deputy forest conservator of the Junner and Ambegaon division had appealed to the villagers not to walk alone, or sleep in the open at night and to carry a noise making instrument for their safety.