Nuapada: Six members of a family were critically injured after a leopard entered their house and attacked them in Jhitiki village under Komakhan police limits in Chhattisgarh, bordering Khadiala Road of Nuapada district, Saturday night.
The injured were identified as Sarju Yadav, 60, Uttara Bai Yadav, 55, Janakram Yadav, 40, Sunita Yadav, 34, Manish Yadav, 18, and Tushar Yadav, 15.
According to reports, the leopard entered the village at night, prompting residents to shut their doors and stay indoors.
When two villagers raised an alarm, the animal attempted to attack them, but they managed to enter a house and lock the door.
The noise apparently startled the leopard, which entered Sarju’s house. At the time, the family members had fi nished dinner and were watching television.
On seeing the animal, they screamed in fear.
The leopard then attacked the family members one after another.
In an attempt to escape, the injured family members rushed out of the house.
The leopard remained inside, allowing them to shut and lock the door from outside.
The injured were taken to a hospital in Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh. Uttara Bai, Manish and Sunita were later shifted to Raipur after their condition deteriorated.
The leopard remained inside the locked house and was roaring loudly.
Villagers informed the Forest Department, following which a team from the Mahasamund Forest Department reached the spot.
The animal was captured in a cage and taken to Mahasamund. Forest officials have advised villagers to immediately report any sighting of a leopard or other wild animal.
Officials are also investigating whether more than one leopard entered the village and from which direction the animal came.
Pug marks are being collected, and its movements are being monitored.
Forest personnel have been deployed in the area and are visiting villages near forests and foothills, using loudspeakers to alert residents