The leopard had sneaked into the premises of Shreeram Anugraha Tower on Chinchpada Road in the morning, leaving panicked residents to call in forest department and police personnel, he said.
"Three people sustained minor injuries and were given first-aid at a local hospital. The leopard has been kept captive and we are awaiting for a cage into which it will be shifted (for evacuation from the site)," Range Forest Officer Sanjay Channe told reporters.
The area drew huge crowds after word spread about the presence of a leopard, officials added. They said the leopard may have sneaked into the site from the nearby Haji Malang Hills. which has thick forest cover.
According to Hindustan Times, one of the injured person is Rajiv Pandey, a 38-year-old teacher. He suffered head injuries after the leopard attacked him while wandering from one building to another.
A team from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) arrived at the spot to tranquilise the animal and release it in the wild.
“Our main aim is to rescue the leopard first. The injured are under treatment. There is no casualty as of now. After the rescue, we will figure out how the leopard entered the residential building. The entire team is working on the safety of the residents," said Shrikant Raut, a forest officer at the spot had told Hindustan Times.
The incident comes only a day after a leopard was rescued from a densely-populated area in Nashik city of Maharashtra hours after it was spotted there, officials said on Wednesday. The feline had entered Ayesha Nagar locality in Vadala Road area around 9.30 pm on Tuesday, and was caged shortly after midnight on Wednesday, they said.
"The leopard entered the bungalow of one Ejaz Qazi in the area. It sat under a car parked in the parking area of the house. The presence of the big cat triggered panic in the locality," an official said.
