Ghaziabad, Jan 18 (IANS): A leopard was killed after it collided with a speeding car on the Meerut-Delhi Expressway on Tuesday evening.

The incident took place near the toll plaza on the Expressway towards Meerut when a leopard suddenly jumped in front of a car.

As the car was moving on high speed, the leopard died due to the impact on the spot.

The speed of the vehicles travelling on the road was so fast that as soon as the big cat pounced on the car, it collided with it and fell. The vehicles behind the speeding car also applied emergency brakes as soon as the leopard collided with the car.

The Ghaziabad SDO, along with the police, is currently present at the accident site.

The SDO said the body of the leopard has been sent for post-mortem. Prima facie, it appears that the leopard had reached the Expressway from the nearby forest area.

As per sources, the leopard was roaming in the area for the past 10 days, triggering panic among the people. The forest department was unsuccessful in capturing the big cat.

The leopard was first spotted near the RVC Centre Cantt, Meerut, and then near a drain at Kirti Palace in Jagriti Vihar. After this, the leopard was sighted at Lakhmi Vihar and then near the Jagriti Vihar BDS school.