Bahraich: A four-year-old boy was killed by a leopard in a village located near the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday afternoon, officials said.
According to villagers, the incident occurred in Sitaraampurwa hamlet under the Bajpur Bankati village panchayat, within the Katarniaghat Forest Range.
Forest Range Officer Ashish Gaur said, "We visited the site and conducted an investigation. The family has been given immediate financial assistance. Further compensation will be provided after the post-mortem."
Sandeep, a resident of the area, had gone to harvest sugarcane with his wife and their son, Abhinandan. While Sandeep and his wife were cutting sugarcane, Abhinandan was playing nearby, according to locals.
A leopard hiding in the fields attacked the child and dragged him through the sugarcane fields towards the Saryu Canal. Hearing Abhinandan's cries, his parents and others raised an alarm and chased the leopard, the officials said.
Seeing people approaching, the leopard abandoned the severely injured child and fled into the forest. Abhinandan was rushed to the Sujauli Primary Health Center, but he succumbed to injuries during treatment, they added.
Villagers have demanded that the forest department should install a cage to capture the leopard and prevent further attacks. The police have sent the boy's body for a post-mortem examination.
