A leopard spotted in a residential area of Nagpur on Wednesday morning triggered panic among residents and prompted the forest department to launch a rescue operation, a senior official said.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (Nagpur) Dr. Vinita Vyas told PTI that the department received alerts about the big cat in the Bhandewadi area.

Teams from the Transit Treatment Centre, along with two additional units, were deployed to capture the animal, she said.

Vyas said policemen have also been deployed in the area for crowd control and to help the rescuers.

“The forest team will also find out how the leopard got into a residential area. The rescue operation is underway, and more details will be shared once it is over,” she said.