Pune : In a heartbreaking incident, a five-year-old girl lost her life after being attacked by a leopard in Pimpalsuti village, located in Shirur taluka, during the early hours of Wednesday. The tragic event has spread a wave of fear and panic throughout the local community.

The victim has been identified as Bhagyashree Sandeep Ware (age 5, originally hailing from Karodi, Pathardi taluka, Ahilyanagar district, and currently residing in Pimpalsuti, Shirur taluka). She was sleeping alongside her family inside a shed owned by Machhindra Pralhad Bhosale. According to a statement provided to the police by her uncle, Babasaheb Kondiba Ware, a leopard slipped into the shed at around 2:40 AM on Wednesday, July 22, and dragged Bhagyashree away.

The Forest Department has set up 6 cages in the area to capture the leopard.

The family raised an immediate alarm upon realizing what had happened, but the leopard managed to carry the young girl into a nearby sugarcane field. Local residents, village youth, and forest department officials launched a prompt search operation in the area. Bhagyashree was eventually found critically injured and was rushed to the Rural Hospital in Nhavare. However, attending medical officers declared her brought dead upon arrival. Shirur Police Station has registered a case of accidental death regarding the incident.

Forest Department Measures and Villager Demands

Following the tragic event, terrified villagers urged the forest department to capture the leopard immediately. Senior forest officials, including Prashant Khade, Smita Rajhans, and Taluka Forest Officer Nilkanth Gavhane, visited the site to assess the situation. Gavhane stated that cages had previously been set up in the area, and six new cages are being deployed immediately. Additionally, the department is conducting drone surveillance, increasing night patrols, and taking all necessary measures to trap the leopard as quickly as possible.