Murbad: Man-eater leopard shot dead by Thane cops

Even as the Quick Response Team from Thane rural police was called in to eliminate the leopard that had been deemed dangerous for humans in the Murbad taluka after it killed two people, it was the patrolling party of the Thane Territorial Department that took the killing shot on Wednesday after a 48-hour operation.

Also read: Panic in Murbad after 2 leopard attacks in 3 days

The leopard that was shot yesterday

The leopard was shot in a field near the Kalambad village, a distance of 24 km from Singapur village where a 55-year-old woman was killed on Friday and 21 km from Sonavale, the village a 52-year-old man became the victim on Sunday.

Read Story: Two dead in Murbad: Officials ordered to capture leopard dead or alive

Interestingly, while the sharp shooters were sitting on the machan near the village where the man was killed on Sunday evening, the patrolling team of Thane forest department located the leopard in Kalambad and killed it.

Official speak
KP Singh, Chief Conservator of Forest, Thane Territorial, said, "I have a confirmation from our officials that the leopard has been killed by our patrolling team and it's a male leopard." A forest department official said, "A villager from the area informed us on Wednesday that the leopard had attacked a dog, after which we started a search operation in the area. Finally, on Wednesday evening, our patrolling party killed the animal."

Wrong kill?
Following the shooting, a crowd of more than 200 people gathered around the spot. However, locals are still unsure if the right leopard has been shot. A villager from the Dhasai village alleged, "Everyone in the area knows that there are two leopards roaming in the area. The one that is attacking humans is different from the one that is attacking stray dogs and cattle. We think they have killed the wrong animal."