Teenage Girl’s Presence of Mind Ends Five-Month Leopard Terror in Prayagraj’s Jhusi Village

A leopard that had become a symbol of fear across parts of Prayagraj for more than five months was finally captured on Thursday, bringing immense relief to residents of the Sarai Inayat and Jhunsi police station areas.

The dramatic end to this prolonged ordeal came not through traps or tranquiliser guns, but due to the extraordinary courage and quick thinking of an 18-year-old girl, Tanu, who risked her life to confine the predator inside a room.

For over five months, the leopard had been roaming freely across villages and semi-urban pockets, spreading panic among residents.

People were afraid to step out after dusk, livestock owners kept animals locked indoors, and night movement had virtually come to a halt.

Despite repeated sightings and extensive efforts by the forest department, the elusive predator continued to evade capture.

The leopard’s reign of terror began on August 6 in the Kotwa Kachhar area of Sarai Inayat.

From there, it constantly changed locations, frustrating forest officials who laid cages and installed camera traps at several points.

During a cordon operation in Sudnipur Kala village, the animal attacked and injured a young man, heightening fear and urgency.

Subsequently, the leopard was sighted in areas such as Jamunipur, Belwar, and Chhatnag.

Residents repeatedly reported hearing the leopard’s roar near the Harish Chandra Research Institute (HRI) campus in Chhatnag.

Security guards and locals claimed to have spotted it multiple times within and around the institute premises.

Despite frequent sightings and sustained efforts, including the placement of cages and surveillance cameras, the wildlife team failed to trap the predator, allowing fear to linger across the region.

The turning point came on Thursday morning when the leopard entered Chhibaiyan village and forced its way into the house of Ratan Singh.

The animal walked straight into a room where Tanu was present. Initially stunned by the sudden encounter, the teenager quickly gathered her composure.

In a split-second decision that would prove decisive, she leapt out of the room and bolted the door from outside, trapping the leopard inside.

Her presence of mind prevented the leopard from escaping and likely saved several lives.

Soon after, forest department officials reached the spot and safely captured the animal.

With the leopard finally in custody, villagers breathed a collective sigh of relief after months of anxiety and sleepless nights.

Skylight Rescue Saves Pregnant Woman and Two Children

The chaos did not end there. At the time the leopard entered the house, Ratan Singh’s daughter-in-law, Khushboo—who is pregnant—was trapped in another room with her four-year-old son Ayansh and one-year-old daughter Aditi.

The leopard’s roaring and movement in the adjacent room triggered panic, with screams echoing through the house.

The lives of the pregnant woman and the two small children were in grave danger.

As fear gripped the locality and people hesitated to act, district panchayat member Suresh Yadav displayed remarkable courage.

Despite recently undergoing surgery for kidney stones, he climbed onto the roof using wooden supports and reached the room through a roshandan (ventilator).

Risking his own safety, he managed to pull Khushboo and her two children out safely.

Thanks to the combined bravery of a young girl’s quick thinking and a local leader’s fearless action, what could have turned into a major tragedy ended with no loss of life.

The capture of the leopard has finally brought an end to months of terror and restored a sense of security to the affected villages.

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