A five-year-old girl was killed by a leopard in Pimpalsuti village of Shirur taluka, Pune district, Maharashtra, in the early hours of Wednesday, 23 July, after the animal entered a cattle shed and dragged her away while she slept beside her parents. Her body was recovered from an adjoining sugarcane field shortly after the attack. The incident has triggered a mission-mode search operation by the Forest Department.

How the Attack Unfolded

The victim, identified as Bhagyashree Sandeep Ware, was asleep with her parents inside a cattle shed near their home at around 2:45 am when the leopard entered and seized the child in its jaws before fleeing into the sugarcane field. Her parents, who work as agricultural labourers in the same field, raised an alarm and gave chase but were unable to intercept the animal in time.

Police confirmed the child's body was recovered from the field a short while later. Post-mortem examination was completed at a rural hospital, following which her last rites were performed.

Forest Department Response

Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Smita Kulkarni said the Forest Department was alerted within 15 minutes of the incident. 'A team reached the spot by 3:15 am and immediately launched a search operation. The child's body was later recovered from the sugarcane field. Her last rites were performed after the post-mortem examination,' Kulkarni said.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (Junnar Division) Prashant Khade, Assistant Conservator Rajhans, and Forest Range Officer Neelkanth Gawhane also visited the site to inspect the area and oversee formalities. Financial assistance for the bereaved family, as per government norms, has been initiated, officials said.

Search Operation Underway

An intensive operation to capture the leopard is ongoing. Special teams have been deployed across the area, cages installed at multiple locations, and camera traps set up to track the animal's movement. Drones are being used for aerial surveillance, and night patrols have been stepped up. The leopard had not been captured at the time of this report.

Advisory to Villagers

Fear has gripped Pimpalsuti village in the wake of the attack. The Forest Department has urged residents not to venture out alone at night, to avoid leaving young children unattended, and to immediately report any leopard sighting to forest officials. Authorities have assured the community that the operation is being conducted on a priority basis to restore safety.

This incident is the latest in a series of human-leopard conflicts in the Junnar region of Pune, an area that has historically recorded high leopard activity owing to its proximity to forest corridors and sugarcane-dominated agricultural land. Conservationists have long flagged the risks posed by makeshift cattle sheds and open sleeping arrangements in such zones.