Uttarakhand: Six-year-old boy killed by leopard in Pauri's Rikhnikhal block

Kotdwar: A six-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard in a village in Uttarakhand's Pauri district, officials said on Tuesday.

Aditya was playing in the courtyard of his maternal grandparents' home in Kota village of Rikhnikhal block at 7.30 pm on Monday when the leopard pounced on him, caught him in his jaws and ran into the forest, Garhwal DFO Swapnil Anirudh said.

His mother and grandmother, sitting nearby, screamed for help. The locals gathered and started searching for the child. His half-eaten body was recovered hours later at around 1.30 am from the forest nearly one kilometre away from the spot where the child was assaulted by the leopard, Anirudh said.

Eight cameras have been installed in the area to trace the leopard, he said. Four cages are being put up to trap the leopard and a team of forest personnel armed with tranquilizer guns is being deployed in the area, the DFO said.

Lansdowne MLA Dilip Rawat expressed grief over the incident saying the fear of big cats is also a reason behind continued migration from the hills.

He will raise the issue in the state assembly to find a permanent solution when its monsoon session begins in Gairsain on Wednesday, he said.