Balrampur (UP), Sep 18 (PTI) Two children have been killed and three others injured in the past one month in leopard attacks in UP's Balrampur and neighbouring districts, instilling fear in residents of around six dozen villages close to the Suhelwa forest area.

Earlier this week, 12-year-old Aman was killed by a leopard, just a few weeks after Roshni (5) lost her life the same way, sources say. Big cats have also killed over a dozen head of cattle.

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Balrampur District Magistrate Mahendra Kumar says the forest team has been directed to use drones to keep an eye on straying leopards and catch them. He also appealed to villagers not to leave their children alone and move in groups, especially during night, to mitigate any possibility of a leopard attack.

"Villagers are afraid to work in their fields. They are scared to send their children to schools," says Shamim Ahmed, a former head of Vishnupur Hatwa village.

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Spread across 452 sq km, the forest area in Balrampur and neighbouring Sravasti and Gonda is close to around six dozen villages. MLA SP Yadav visited the area and heard woes of the locals.

"Children are being killed by leopards. The issue has been raised in the Legislative Assembly on several occasions but the current government has not done anything to prevent it," Yadav alleges.

He says fencing near the villages may bring down the number of deaths.

Meanwhile, forest officials have started an operation to catch the leopards.

Forest Range Officer Koteshwar Tyagi told PTI, "We have set up cages and formed two teams to catch the leopards."

The locals alleged that efforts being made by forest officials to nab leopards have proved to be ineffective.

Dr Nagendra Singh, who has been overseeing conservation efforts in the forest area for over a decade, said the number of leopards has increased.

"Human interference in natural lives of leopards have also increased. This has led to a rise in man-animal conflict," he says.

"The situation may deteriorate," he warns if efforts are not made soon.

(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)