Leopard attack kills three-year-old child in Gujarat village

A three-year-old child, Aarav Patel, was killed following a leopard attack in Bhinar village, located in the Vansda taluka of Navsari district, Gujarat. The incident occurred in the Kumbhar Phaliya area when a leopard reportedly snatched the child from in front of his mother while he was playing outside his home.

Following the attack, local villagers, police, and the Forest Department launched a search operation in the nearby fields. The child's body was later recovered, and it has been sent to the Vansda Cottage Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Bhagirath Singh Jhala, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) for the Dharampur sub-division, stated that while a leopard attack is suspected, official confirmation awaits the autopsy results.

The Forest Department has deployed five teams under the leadership of the Range Forest Officer to track and capture the leopard. Meanwhile, local authorities are preparing the necessary legal documentation to provide compensation and ex-gratia payments to the victim's family. The incident has caused significant fear among residents in the village.