A Leopard killed an eight-year-old girl after exploring into a residential area near the control line (LOC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Hattian Bala district, officials said Sunday.
According to police, the tragic incident took place in Pando Nala, a village located about 15 kilometers from Chinari and approx. 65 km from Muzaffarabad, the regional capital. The area is located near Loc.
The predator allegedly went into the yard of a house and caught the girl and took her into nearby forest, police say. The family and the locals immediately began to search the area and combed nearby fields and wooded spots in the hope of regaining the child.
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Three hours later, the girl’s body was discovered in a dense scrub. A police officer said the leopard seemed to have bitten the baby on her neck and sucked her blood before fleding into the adjoining forest.
Authorities have called on the residents of the surrounding villages to remain vigilant and avoid leaving children unattended, especially at dusk and dawn in areas adjacent to forests. There is an effort to trace the animal.
