Leopard mauls 80-year-old woman to death in Gujarat's Amreli district

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An 80-year-old woman from Amreli district in Gujarat was mauled to death in her home by a leopard on Thursday night.

The deceased identified as Mongiben Baraia, a resident of Sarovada village was sleeping when she was attacked by the leopard, the forest official said.

"The leopard entered Baraia's home and held her by the throat resulting in her death. The octogenarian was alone at the time," a Jafrabad range forest official said.

Baraia's family members who had gone out, found her body upon returning home on Friday morning.

After being alerted, forest officials reached the spot and set up cages in the village and its surrounding areas to trap the leopard.

The body of the elderly woman was sent to a government hospital in Jafrabad for post-mortem.

The district has witnessed a spurt in leopard and lion attacks in recent times, on humans that also resulted in a few deaths.

Attacks by the big cats were reported from Liliya, Khambha and Savarkundla talukas of the district.

Early this month, a two-year-old boy was killed by a leopard in the district. The toddler was sleeping in his hut at Katar village under Rajula range forest when a leopard grabbed him by the neck and dragged him into nearby bushes.

This came less than a week after a five-month-old boy was killed by a lioness at Khara village in Liliya taluka, while a three-year-old child died in a leopard attack at Karjala village in Savarkundla taluka of the district.

(with inputs from PTI)