Lakhimpur Kheri (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 28 (IANS): A 13-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard near the Dudhwa forest range in Dhaurahra area of Lakhimpur Kheri district.

The victim, a Class 8 student, was carrying lunch for his father to a nearby field on Sunday when the leopard dragged him away in Banshibeli village. People working in adjacent fields rushed to his rescue but it was too late.

The body was later found about 50 metres away from the spot.

This is the second such incident of a child being attacked and killed by a leopard in the area in the past two weeks.

After inspecting pug marks of an adult leopard in the area, forest ranger Anil Shah and his team said that it might be the same animal that killed a 12-year-old boy in Chamaranpurva village on September 13.

Divisional forest officer (DFO) Anil Patel said, "Two cages had been placed at the site of the first attack but the leopard was not caught. It may have changed its location."

Both the villages, Chamaranpurva and Banshibeli, are about eight kilometres apart along the Ghaghra river.

The forest officials suspect that the leopard may have moved along the course of the river.

"The boy's family is eligible for compensation under the state's Calamity Act, as the incident occurred outside the forest area. We will monitor the movement of the leopard to avoid more such cases of man-animal conflict," the DFO said.