Leopard suspected of killing 6 children captured in UP

Balrampur (UP): A leopard, suspected to have killed six children in the villages adjacent to the Suhelwa forest area here, was on Wednesday captured, a forest official said.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sam Maran M said the feline that had been causing terror in the nearby villages was tranquilised and moved into a cage.

The forest department team came to know about the presence of the leopard near Belwa village with the help of a drone camera.

Following this, the team laid a trap with bait in the bushes on the edge of the forest and captured the leopard today, he said.

The DFO said the captured leopard is a five-year-old female. The feline will be sent to Lucknow or Gorakhpur Zoo.

The leopard is suspected to be behind the killings of six children in Belwa village and surrounding area during the last two months.

The Forest Department had called experts from Delhi and Kolkata and deployed four teams in efforts to catch the animal.