Jaipur, Nov 28 (IANS) After evading rescue teams for nearly two days, a leopard roaming through densely populated areas of Jaipur was finally captured late on Thursday night. The Forest Department team tranquilised the animal after a prolonged effort when it took shelter inside the garage of a house in Qureshi Colony near Chandpol Bazaar.

However, the rescue team’s delayed response sparked anger among residents, who claimed that authorities reached the spot more than 90 minutes after being alerted. According to eyewitnesses, the leopard was first spotted in the garage of a house just 20 metres from Saroj Cinema Hall.

The homeowner, Mohammad Sabir, said he saw the leopard at night, quickly shut the shutters, and informed the Forest Department. Before entering the garage, the leopard reportedly moved through several locations — first Saroj Cinema Hall, then Mansoori Manzil, before reaching Sabir’s residence. The rescue team arrived around 9:30 PM, by which time hundreds of people had gathered in the area, complicating the operation.

After multiple attempts, the big cat was tranquilised around 12:20 AM. The leopard then scaled a 40-foot wall before collapsing from the anesthetic. It was finally secured in a cage at 12:50 AM.

The leopard was first sighted on Wednesday in the Nehru Nagar and Panipech areas. On Thursday morning, it was seen near the Sikar House locality, where CCTV cameras captured it running on rooftops and crossing a road while vehicles passed by. Despite being in pursuit, the Forest Department team missed the leopard as it traveled nearly 4 km through crowded residential lanes.

Forest Ranger Ajit Meena confirmed that sightings were mostly based on CCTV footage rather than on-ground tracking.

Dinesh Panchauli, a resident of Sikar House Colony, said he initially mistook the noise on his terrace for a monkey. When he stepped out again, he was stunned to see a leopard only a few metres away.

Within minutes, the leopard leapt across rooftops and vanished into Kalyan Colony.

In a separate incident, a one-year-old male leopard cub fell into a well in Rundal Naka, Achrol. Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Arvind Mathur descended into the well in a cage to safely retrieve the cub. It has now been shifted to the Nahargarh Biological Park for medical observation.

–IANS

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