Daijiworld Media Network - Coimbatore

Coimbatore, Jun 21: Panic gripped Tamil Nadu’s hill town of Valparai on Wednesday evening after a leopard reportedly attacked and carried away a four-year-old girl from outside her home. The child, identified as Roshni, was playing near the house when the big cat allegedly lifted her and vanished into the nearby forest.

Forest and police officials have launched an intense night-long search operation using drones, sniffer dogs, and searchlights to comb the dense, hilly terrain. “Forest officials and police are jointly searching the area,” a senior officer told.

The incident has sparked fear among local residents, as man-animal conflicts continue to rise across Tamil Nadu’s forest-bordering regions, especially involving leopards and elephants.

In response to increasing wildlife encounters, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has begun installing AI-based camera alert systems in vulnerable zones to detect animal movement and issue real-time warnings to locals.

Authorities have urged residents to stay indoors after dark and keep children under close supervision, while efforts to locate the child and track the leopard are ongoing.