30 September,2024 12:55 PM IST | Udaipur | mid-day online correspondent
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A senior temple priest was killed in an alleged leopard attack in Udaipur, officials said to PTI on Monday.
According to PTI, the incident took place on Sunday morning in Gogunda.
Vishnu Giri, 65 was sleeping outside the temple in the Rathodo Ka Gudha area in Gogunda when a wild animal dragged him into the forest, where he was mauled to death. His disfigured body was discovered on Monday morning about 150 meters from the temple, police said to PTI.
Locals say that the priest was attacked by a leopard.
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Forest officials stated that an inquiry is being conducted to determine whether the man was attacked by a leopard or another animal, PTI reported.
The residents of Gogunda have been living in fear due to recent leopards attacks in the area. Five people have been killed in these attacks.
On September 21, in the search for the leopard an Army team was roped in for the purpose, using drone cameras to monitor the entire area, PTI reported.
According to PTI, the move came after, 3 people were suspected to be killed by the animal.
The victims were a 16-year-old girl, a 50-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman who were killed supposedly by the same animal all within a week.
The incidents occurred at different locations in Gogunda in Rajasthan's Udaipur district, prompting the forest authorities to place six cages to capture the leopard that is believed to have taken shelter in the hilly area nearby.
Despite an intense search operation, authorities have not been able to capture the leopard which has instilled fear among the villagers in Gogunda, PTI reported.
A forest department official said drones have been pressed into service and camera traps set up in the area but the movement of the leopard could not be traced.
Army personnel, police and forest department teams continued the search operation.
"We have set up camera traps at different locations that have so far shown no sign of the leopard," Deputy Conservator of Forest, Udaipur, Ajay Chittora said to PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
