Leopard mauls eight-year-old boy to death

Dhamtari, May 15: An eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard in Dhamtari district on Saturday, a forest official said.
The incident took place in the forest near Mukundpur village under Nagri development block in the morning, when the boy identified as Ashish had ventured into the jungle with some locals to collect wood, the official said.
While the others returned to the village with wood, the victim stayed there with his friends to collect some forest produce, he said. A leopard lurking in the bushes caught the boy and dragged him a few meters away deep into the forest, the official said. On being alerted about the attack by other children, villagers rushed to the spot and tried to save the boy, he said. Seeing the crowd, the leopard escaped, leaving the child behind, the official said, adding that the boy was rushed to a community health centre in Nagri where he was declared dead. The victim’s kin will be provided a compensation of Rs 6 lakh as per the rules, he said.