Leopard Kills Four-Year-Old Girl in Chhotaudepur Village

Chhotaudepur: A four-year-old girl was killed after a leopard attacked her while she was playing outside her house in Mota Vajpur village of Bodeli taluka on Thursday night. The incident has triggered panic among residents, even as the Forest Department captured the leopard within a few hours of the attack.

According to officials and local residents, Bhavya Rathwa, daughter of Popatbhai Rathwa, was playing in the courtyard of her house with other children at around 8 pm when a leopard suddenly emerged from a nearby area and attacked her. The animal reportedly grabbed the child in its jaws and dragged her nearly 100 metres.

Hearing the screams, family members and villagers rushed to the spot and raised an alarm. Startled by the commotion, the leopard abandoned the girl and fled towards the nearby forest.

The critically injured child was immediately taken to the Jambughoda Community Health Centre (CHC), where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

Following the incident, a team from the Bodeli Forest Department reached the village and launched a search operation. Cages were placed in the surrounding area, and the leopard responsible for the attack was trapped within a few hours.

The tragic incident has spread fear across Mota Vajpur and nearby villages. Residents have urged the Forest Department to strengthen measures to prevent leopard intrusions into human settlements, as incidents of human-wildlife conflict continue to be reported from different parts of Gujarat. DeshGujarat