Leopard attacks in villages along the Dhamtari-Kondagaon border belt of Chhattisgarh injured eight people, including a six-month pregnant woman, within hours, prompting forest teams to intensify ground combing, drone surveillance and public warnings in the affected area.
The first attack was reported around 10pm on Wednesday in Karipani village in Dhamtari district’s Sitanadi forest area. According to villagers, a leopard entered the settlement and went after a bull. Urmila Bai Markam, 60, stepped out of her house after hearing the commotion and was attacked. Her visiting brother, Sundar Lal Netam, 60, was injured while trying to rescue her, while a neighbour, Manai Bai, was also attacked when she reached the spot.
The three victims were taken to the government hospital in Nagri. Urmila and Sundar Lal were later referred to Dhamtari district hospital, while Manai Bai remained under treatment in Nagri, according to the report.
Around 5am on Thursday, the animal was reported in Bastar Budra village in Kondagaon district. Members of a family were sitting in their courtyard around a fire and shelling maize when the leopard attacked. Five people were injured, including Ramshila Mandavi, 34, who is six months pregnant; Devalal Watti, 66; Duaruram Mandavi, 44; and Lata Mandavi, 40. The identity of the fifth injured person was not immediately available.
All five were taken to hospital, and one seriously injured person was later referred to Kanker for further treatment. The attacks have placed villages located close to forested areas under heightened alert, particularly during early morning and evening hours when residents may encounter wildlife moving near homes, fields and roads.
Forest officials said the leopard had first been sighted around the Bahigaon-Karipani belt on Wednesday, before the attacks were reported. Teams had already been attempting to track the animal. Preliminary tracking suggested that the same leopard may have moved from the Sitanadi side towards Bastar Budra, although officials were still assessing the movement sequence.
The proximity of the villages has raised the possibility that one leopard was involved in both incidents. Pugmarks were reportedly found along the river towards Budra, but confirmation from the forest department was awaited. A leopard had also been spotted in a maize field at Bahigaon around 3pm before the overnight attacks and was later seen crossing a road. A video of that sighting has circulated on social media.
A baited cage had already been placed in the area because leopard movement had been reported over the previous few days. Teams from the Keshkal forest division and the Udanti-Sitanadi landscape have now intensified combing operations and are using drones to monitor the animal’s movement.
Forest teams are also making public announcements in the affected villages. Residents have been advised to avoid moving alone during early morning and evening hours and not to approach or chase the leopard if it is spotted. The forest department’s tracking operations and confirmation of whether the same animal was involved in both attacks remain the next official steps.
