Balrampur (Uttar Pradesh): In the Sohelwa forest area’s Belwa village, the lifeless body of an eight-year-old boy, who was seized by a leopard, was discovered in the surrounding bushes, as reported by the forest department on Friday. District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Singh has issued orders to conduct a thorough search of the forest to capture the leopard, with the forest department mobilizing four teams for the task.
On Thursday evening, Vikas, the son of Jagdamba Prasad, was seated outside his residence in Belwa village, Tulsipur tehsil, when a leopard, concealed in the bushes, seized him and swiftly disappeared into the forest. Despite the villagers giving chase upon hearing the boy’s cries, the leopard managed to escape.
Approximately an hour later, the villagers located the boy’s lifeless body with a slit throat in the bushes near a mountain drain.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Dr. Sam Maran M, who visited the site to assess the situation, revealed that four Forest Department teams have been dispatched to locate the leopard. The forest department has installed ten cameras and four cages to track the leopard. Assistance has been sought from the DFOs of Barabanki and Siddharthnagar districts.
DM Singh stated that the boy’s post-mortem is underway, and upon receiving the report, financial aid will be extended to his family. Instructions have been issued for the police and SDM to remain present in the village.
