NAVSARI: A 24-year-old woman was fatally mauled by a leopard in Gujarat's Navsari district, as confirmed by a forest official on Sunday.
The incident occurred in Sadakpore village of Chikhli taluka late on Saturday night when the woman ventured out for a natural call.
Preliminary findings suggest that the woman was attacked and killed by a leopard during her nighttime excursion, said Akash Padshala, the Range Forest Officer (RFO) of Chikhli.
To ensure a comprehensive examination, the victim's body was sent for post-mortem, and the assistance of the police was sought to eliminate any suspicions of foul play. In response to the incident, the forest department has deployed cages in the area to capture the leopard responsible.
The victim, identified as Chhaya Patel, sustained severe injuries to her neck and other parts of her body, resulting in her immediate demise, according to officials.
When the woman failed to return home, her family and fellow villagers launched a search and discovered her lifeless body. The Chikhli police station registered a case of accidental death in relation to the incident.
This incident occurred a day after a 55-year-old woman faced a similar leopard attack in Wadala village in Talala taluka, Amreli district.
Gujarat has witnessed a surge in its leopard population, with the most recent census indicating a count of 2,274 of these big cats in the state in 2023, marking a 63 percent increase from 2016, when the count stood at 1,395.
(With agency inputs)
