LUCKNOW: A nine-year-old girl was killed in a leopard attack in Bahraich district after the animal allegedly entered her house and dragged her away while she was sleeping in the veranda, officials said on Tuesday. The victim, identified as Anshika, daughter of Om Prakash and a resident of Tapra Bazaar village under Sujauli police station limits, was sleeping on a cot in the veranda of her house in the early hours of Wednesday when the leopard attacked. According to family members, the animal grabbed the girl by the neck and dragged her towards the nearby forest. Hearing her screams, relatives and villagers rushed out and launched a frantic search using torches and sticks. Leopard pugmarks were found near the house, prompting villagers to search the surrounding fields and forest areas. After nearly one-and-a-half hours of searching, Anshika was found critically injured in a sugarcane field near Sautiya Nala, about 200 metres from her home. She had sustained severe injuries to her face, neck and other parts of her body, with deep bite marks and a severely damaged windpipe. Her father immediately picked her up and rushed her towards a hospital, but the child succumbed to her injuries on the way. Anshika, a Class 2 student at a local primary school, was the youngest of three siblings. Her father earns a living through farming. According to the village head, the forest area of the Katarniaghat Wildlife region begins barely 300 metres from the village, and incidents involving leopards and tigers have been reported frequently in the area. Villagers said a cyclist had also been attacked by a leopard nearly an hour before the fatal incident. Forest and police officials rushed to the spot after receiving information. Sujauli Range Ranger Rohit Kumar said a cage was being installed to capture the leopard and patrolling in the area had been intensified. Station House Officer, Sujauli, Prakash Chandra Sharma said the body had been sent for post-mortem examination and further legal proceedings were underway.
