Forest Department personnel, under the supervision of senior officials and SDRF personnel, have begun combing operations in Jadhav Nagar of Belagavi after a construction worker was reportedly attacked by a leopard on Friday.
Even as the injured worker, Saidarayi Laxman Mirajkar, 38, is getting treated at a hospital, his mother, Shantha Mirajkar, died of a cardiac arrest in K.H. Khanagavi village after being informed about the leopard attack on her son.
According to sources, the leopard pounced on Mirajkar and when others raised an alarm, it panicked and jumped over the compound of a nearby open space and disappeared into the thick bushes there. Mirajkar suffered injuries on his right shoulder and was shifted to the hospital.
Deputy Commissioner of Belagavi Ravindra Gadad and forest officials are monitoring the combing operation. A team from Gadag Forest Department which specialises in urban operations has been called to capture the wild cat.
Meanwhile, the leopard’s movement has been captured no CCTV cameras and drone cameras have been deployed to capture its movement.
Police personnel have blocked entry to Jadhav Nagar and public announcement is being repeatedly made asking people not to venture out.