Chandrapur : A nine-year-old boy was injured in a leopard attack near the Visapur toll plaza on the Ballarpur-Chandrapur highway late on Saturday.
He had come from Hyderabad to visit his aunt in Ballarpur and was walking to the temple with a group of around 12 people from Shantinagar.
The leopard dragged Kartik Sanjay Jadhav into the bushes, forest officials said. The attack was so swift that his disappearance went unnoticed initially. Devotees realised he was missing nearly two hours later and began searching for him. “Kartik kept clapping frantically after regaining consciousness. A police vehicle rushed him to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandrapur, from where he was later shifted to a private hospital.
The sound alerted people searching nearby, who found him lying injured in the bushes on Sunday midnight,” an eyewitness said.
Forest officials suspect the leopard leapt over the 12-foot wall of the botanical garden. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nagpur | Silver Rate in Nagpur | Bank Holidays in Nagpur | Public Holidays in Nagpur | Petrol Price in Nagpur | Diesel Price in Nagpur | CNG Price in Nagpur | LPG Price in Nagpur Stay updated with the latest Nagpur news.
Ballarpur range forest officer RD Ghorude said the boy’s condition was stable. Kartik may have fallen behind the group, leaving him vulnerable. Patrolling has been intensified along the highway, and multiple camera traps have been installed to track the animal. Cages have also been placed at strategic locations to capture it. The attack has heightened concern among devotees, as thousands walk from Ballarpur to Chandrapur during Navratri to visit the Mahakali temple. Download the TOI App.