December 1, 2025
BALRAM – In a tragic incident, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy was taken away by a leopard in the Balrampur district while he was sleeping by his mother’s side.
Hearing commotion, although family members came out to the infant boy’s rescue and gave the leopard a hot chase, the animal managed to disappear into the darkness with the child, police said on Sunday.
The body of child was later found about 150 meters away from the house, deep inside the forest area. Villagers immediately informed the police and the Forest Department. The body was sent for post-mortem and forest officials began efforts to trace the predator.
The family had come to the village for a wedding ceremony. The incident occurred between 2 and 3 am on Sunday in Reharpurwa Jhauhna village under the Bankatwa forest range. Shesharam, a resident of Gurdaspurwa village in the Harya Police station area, was on a visit, along with his wife, Chanawati Devi, and their son, Rohit, to attend the ceremony at the home of their relative, Bhagwat Ram.
According to Chanawati, she was sleeping with Rohit when the leopard entered the house and snatched the child. She immediately ran after the animal, raising an alarm. She was joined by other members of the family carrying sticks. Despite their efforts, the leopard vanished into the night with the child.
Following the incident, the family informed the police and forest officials. Soon after, a search operation was launched, and the child’s partially eaten body was discovered in a nearby forest patch.
Reharpurwa village is located close to dense forest, with the tree line beginning around 500 meters from the settlement. Forest Range Officer Satrohan Lal confirmed that the child had been attacked by a wild animal. Additional forest teams have been deployed in the area as a precaution.
Earlier on Saturday morning, a leopard in Trilokpur village under the Gaura police station area of Tulsipur Unit had hunted a nilgai near the village. The animal was reportedly sighted several times near human habitation, causing alarm among villagers. According to village head Mohammad Irfan, the leopard has been seen near the settlement four to five times since Sunday morning.
Forest Department officials are urging villagers to remain cautious and avoid venturing out alone, especially during nighttime.