Bengaluru, Dec 2 (IANS): A high alert was sounded in Kengeri and surrounding localities of Bengaluru on Friday after locals spotted four leopards in the area.

Recently, four big cats were sighted in Kengeri, Kumbalagodu, Devanahalli and nearby areas. The authorities have found the carcass of a deer killed by a leopard in Kodipalya near Kanakapura in the outskirts of Bengaluru.

It is feared that leopards are straying into residential areas from Turahalli Reserve Forest located close to Bengaluru. Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) has built a new layout in the region and fear has gripped morning walkers and local residents.

A cage has been kept to trap the prowling feline on the premises of a private factory in Tarabanahalli in Devanahalli taluk of Bengaluru Rural district.

In the past two days, the people have spotted the leopards several times. However, wildlife experts maintain that leopards in the region are found naturally and hence, there is no need for panic.

The authorities and wildlife experts have advised the people against venturing out alone at night. They have also been asked to keep away from the reserve forests, play songs on their mobiles and talk loudly when they are moving during nights.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Meghana, a resident of Sakebbehundi near T. Narasipur town in Mysuru district, who was attacked by a leopard has succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.

She was attacked by a leopard on Thursday, when she had gone to relieve herself behind her residence.