Marol locals were surprised to learn that a full-grown leopard had taken a stroll at Bhavani Nagar, next to Aarey Milk Colony, a few days ago. After CCTV footage of the big cat surfaced, the forest department increased patrolling and set up numerous camera traps in the area.

According to Santosh Shetty, secretary of Bhavani Nagar Cooperative Housing Federal Society, “The leopard was initially seen in CCTV footage at 1.30 am on Tuesday, March 7. We could see it approaching plot 1 just near the entrance of Bhavani Nagar. Later, at around 2.06 am, cameras recorded a leopard at plot no 2. The animal was last seen at plot no 3 at roughly 2.10 am, at which point we lost sight of it.”