Jalgaon: On Sunday morning at 9:00 AM, sheer pandemonium erupted in Muktainagar when a leopard, rather than an expected VIP guest, was spotted inside the Government Rest House, located in the heart of the city. The Forest Department launched a rescue operation to capture the animal, while a crowd, armed with sticks, also attempted to catch it; Muktainagar MLA Chandrakant Patil was at the forefront of this effort. Finally, after three hours of intense effort, the team succeeded in tranquillizing the leopard and confining it within a cage.
At 9:00 AM on Sunday, Santosh Patil discovered the leopard crouching behind a wall in the dining hall of the Muktainagar Rest House. He immediately alerted the MLA’s Personal Assistant (PA), who was present at the location. The Forest Department was notified, and the police were simultaneously informed. The operation to capture the leopard commenced at 10:00 AM. Since the city bus stand is situated right next to the Rest House, the entire area was completely evacuated. Additionally, all roads leading to the Rest House were cordoned off. The Forest Department had kept a tranquilliser dart gun and a cage ready for the capture.
As soon as the first shot was fired to tranquillise the animal, the leopard bolted out of the Rest House, and a crowd comprising MLA Chandrakant Patil, Forest Department personnel, and local residents gave chase in an attempt to capture it. During the incident, a scuffle ensued between the leopard and the crowd. The leopard was finally captured after the Forest Department fired a tranquilliser gun for a second time to sedate it. The dramatic episode came to an end at 1:00 PM, when the Forest Department successfully confined the animal in a cage.
MLA Chandrakant Patil stated that despite being administered tranquillizer injections twice, the leopard failed to become sedated; observing that it was attempting to enter a residential area, the crowd intervened and tried to restrain it in an effort to ensure public safety. The Forest Department subsequently confirmed that the captured leopard is a two-year-old female.
