Dahod, Sep 29 (PTI) Three persons were arrested for allegedly capturing and injuring a leopard after tying its legs with a rope in Gujarat's Dahod district, an official said on Wednesday.

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The accused Amarsinh Mohaniya, Bhurabhai Sangada, and Roopsinh Chauhan were arrested after videos of the incident that took place at Dudhamali village on September 25, went viral on social media, an official of Dhanpur range forest said.

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In one of the videos, some villagers can be seen tying the animal's legs using a rope and sticks, while another clip shows the leopard lying in the field with its legs tied with a rope and some villagers poking it with sticks, it was stated.

Soon after being captured, the leopard freed itself and injured two of the accused and hid in the standing crop on a farm, the official said, adding that the animal was later captured by a forest team and taken to a rescue centre at Barmoli.

According to the official, the leopard had caused panic in the village after entering a farm on September 25, and had attacked a person, following which the local forest office was informed.

The accused chased and captured the leopard and tied it up with a rope, injuring it in the process, he said.

A day after the incident, the videos went viral and the forest department launched an investigation, the official said.

Two of the accused were nabbed on Monday and the third one was apprehended on Tuesday, he said, adding that the trio have been booked under various provisions of the Wildlife (Protection Act), 1972.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)