A one-year-old boy taken by a leopard from his home in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district was found dead on the outskirts of his village, officials said on Sunday.
Regional Forest Officer Manoj Kumar said the child, Rohit, had been sleeping in a veranda with his mother, Ghannawati, late on Saturday when the leopard seized him.
She awoke to his cries and saw the animal carrying him away.
Forest teams began a night-long search soon after the alarm was raised, and the body was discovered near the Sohlewa forest area, officials said.
The incident has left Nevalganj village tense, with residents urging authorities to increase patrols along settlements bordering forest land.
District Magistrate Vipin Jain said efforts are on to track the leopard, including the installation of trap cameras and the deployment of three forest department teams.
He added that drones would also be used to monitor wild animal movement in the area.
