Bhubaneswar: All the efforts of the forest officials went in vain Tuesday as they failed to capture the leopard spotted in the CCTV footage Sunday night at an commercial establishment in Palasapalli area near Biju Patnaik International Airport. Meanwhile, a security guard deployed at the ATS tower claimed he spotted the wild cat during the wee hours Tuesday morning.
According to sources, a 25-member fire department team and the Central Industrial Security Forces along with a 10-member tranquilizer team of Nanadankanan Zoo started an operation Tuesday morning. The team from Nandankanan Zoo engaged in the operation with two tranquilizer guns and two traps. One team returned to Nandankana after it failed to trace the leopard. The next phase of rescue operation started in the evening. The city DFO along with four range officers has been supervising the operation to catch the animal.
Senior forest officials informed the media that the wild cat could have entered the airport area after moving out of the Chandaka sanctuary. The forest officials sealed the old airport road and advised locals to remain indoors. The denizens were in a panic after the news about the roaming of the wild cat surfaced in the media Monday.
Notably, visuals of the leopard entering the premises of a commercial establishment were captured on CCTV cameras Sunday night. The leopard was seen entering the building after scaling the airport wall at 10.30 pm.
