Saharanpur, May 5: A leopard was spotted inside the Remount Depot and Training Centre located on Dehradun Road in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, prompting forest and police teams to launch a rescue operation, officials said on Monday. According to officials, the leopard attacked an employee of the depot located under the Janakpuri police station area of Saharanpur district. The employee escaped with minor injuries.

Based on pugmarks and other physical evidence found inside the depot, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Social Forestry Division, Shubham Singh, confirmed the presence of the leopard. The sighting has created panic not just among depot staff but also in nearby residential colonies. Upon receiving information, teams from Janakpuri police station and the Forest Department reached the spot and initiated a rescue operation. Uttar Pradesh: 5-year-old Child Dies in Leopard Attack in Bahraich District.

Officials said that multiple traps have been set up at various locations and several teams have been deployed to capture the animal. "We have intensified the search operation across the entire area," DFO Singh told PTI. Singh said the leopard was first sighted on Sunday when it suddenly appeared near a group of workers harvesting wheat inside the Remount Veterinary Corps section.

It attacked a worker, Mohsin, targeting his neck. However, other workers rushed with tools and sticks, forcing the leopard to flee, he added. Some of the employees recorded a video of the fleeing leopard, which surfaced on social media on Monday, heightening local concern. The Remount Depot is a sprawling military facility spread across several hundred acres. It trains horses and dogs for army operations and employs hundreds of staff working in shifts. Leopard Caught in Poacher’s Snare on UP-Uttarakhand Border Rescued After 12 Hours.

Officials have issued an advisory urging all depot employees and their families to remain vigilant.

(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)