PUNE: A-60-year-old woman was found mauled to death in a suspected leopard attack at Vadgaon Patole village in Khed tehsil, about 60km away from the city, on Wednesday.
Pradip Raundhal, forest officer, Khed forest range, who inspected the spot, told TOI, “Considering the deep claw injuries and pugmarks at the site, we strongly suspect that the woman was killed by a leopard. We have also recovered the animal’s hair from the spot. A team of veterinary doctors have collected DNA samples of the body to ascertain the animal attack. The post-mortem of the body was conducted at the rural hospital, Chandoli in Khed tehsil.”
Wild animals such as leopard, wolf and hyena are sighted in forest areas near the village, said officials.
“The woman’s body was found mauled in the attack. According to preliminary findings, the animal’s teeth pierced her chest, shoulder and neck,” said Jayram Gowda, deputy conservator of forest, Junnar division.
The villagers spotted the body on Wednesday afternoon near a rivulet. “The woman stayed alone in a hut surrounded by sugar cane fields. We suspect that the animal might have attacked her early in the morning,” Raundhal said, adding that leopards were known to frequent the village.
“There are at least four to five leopards in the village. One person sustained minor injuries in a leopard attack last week. The sightings of the animals have been quite frequent in the last two decades,” he added.
In 2001, Jaganath Patole, a resident of the village, was killed in a leopard attack, said forest officials.
The village has sugar cane fields and forest areas, so the animals have not left or migrated to any other place, said the officials.
According to the state government rules, the victim’s family gets Rs15 lakh compensation from the forest department.
Rs5 lakh is released to the family of the victim in 48 hours.
