Leopard injures 10 people at Ghaziabad court complex, tranquilised after 4-hour operation

PTI

Ghaziabad, February 8

Ten people were injured after a leopard strayed into the district court complex here on Wednesday, triggering panic and a four-hour operation to catch the animal.

“The leopard was tranquilised following a joint operation of police and the forest department,” DCP (City) Nipun Agrawal said, adding that arrangements are being made to cage the animal.  

According to police, the leopard first attacked a cobbler on the ground floor of the court complex in the Kavinagar area of the district before heading to the first floor.

The animal’s presence in the chief judicial magistrate court complex triggered panic and sent people running for their lives. While some ran towards the staircase, others locked themselves up in offices and washrooms.

The leopard was running from one end of the building to another, attacking people coming in its way, officials said.

A joint operation of police and the forest department was launched as soon as the news spread and it took over four hours to rescue the animal, they said.

The rescue team managed to get a hold of the situation once the animal returned to the ground floor. “The two collapsible gates on either sides of the ground floor were closed to confine the animal. Once this was done, some of our teams focused on rescuing people locked inside offices and washrooms of the building,” a police officer said.

The DCP said two lawyers and a head constable are among the 10 people injured in the incident.

The injured have been hospitalised, police added.