A 'shoot at sight' operation has been taken up to kill a leopard within seven days from Friday after it killed a 22-year-old woman at S Kebbehundi village in T Narasipura taluk of Mysuru district late Thursday
Mysuru circle Conservator of Forests Dr Malathi Priya M has said that fifteen teams have been formed for the operation. And each team will have six personnel led by a range forest officer.
Villagers had taken up a flash protest near the T Narasipura government hospital where the victim's body was kept.
A compensation of Rs 7.5 lakh compensation has been announced for the family of the victim Meghana. Rs 5 lakh have already been given to the victim's family on Thursday. The remaining compensation will be given within five days after the results of the post-mortem report of the deceased come in. Also, family members will receive Rs 2,000 per month like a pension for five years. A family member of the deceased will be given a job on an outsourced basis, Malathi Priya said.
Malathi Priya informed that the RFO (Range Forest Officer) of T Narasipura taluk has been sent on compulsory leave from Friday, and an inquiry would be conducted to check if there was any fault from his side.
Mysuru division DCF Kamala informed that leopards are sighted frequently in T Narasipura taluk and at least five leopards have been rescued in the taluk from April this year.
Ten trap cameras and 15 cages were installed after the villagers of T Narasipura taluk reported seeing the big cat a few times and after a 22-year-old boy was killed near Ukkalagere, over 12 km from S Kebbehundi village.
The forest department took up combing operations a few times but the leopard could not be trapped. An additional five cages have been kept and drones are being used to look for the leopard, she said.
Kamala added that there was a Eucalyptus plantation and bushes behind Meghana's house. The leopard had attacked her when she had gone to the backyard of her house on Thursday evening. Her body was handed over to her parents Rajamani and Ramesh Naik after post-mortem on Friday. Meghana was one of their three daughters.