Thane, Apr 21 (PTI) An eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard in a forested area of Maharashtra’s Thane district on Tuesday, officials said.
The attack occurred around 8 am when the victim, Krishna Bhaga Agiwale, a resident of Kalbhonde in the Kasara range, ventured into a forest patch near his house to collect wild fruits, police said.
“The boy was picking mangoes when a leopard hiding in the bushes pounced on him and dragged him into the thicket. He died on the spot,” a local police official said.
The incident has sparked outrage among villagers, who claimed they had alerted the forest department, but officials did not reach the scene until noon.
“The child’s body lay there for four hours while we waited for the authorities. This delay is unacceptable,” an angry villager alleged.
The boy’s body was later shifted to a government hospital for post-mortem, and a case of accidental death was registered, Inspector Suresh Gavit of Kasara police told PTI.
Shahapur MLA Daulat Daroda expressed concerns about the rising man-animal conflict.
“The growing number of leopard attacks in this region must be addressed as a priority. I will take up the issue of increased patrolling and the installation of cages to trap the predator,” he told PTI.
Villagers have demanded immediate compensation for the family and the deployment of forest guards to prevent such attacks. PTI COR ARU
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