A leopard attacked and dragged away a nine‑year‑old boy from a group of pilgrims walking to a temple in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, officials said on Sunday.
Hundreds of locals launched a frantic search and later found the child lying injured in nearby bushes, from where he was rescued shortly after midnight on Sunday, they said.
The boy, a resident of Hyderabad, was part of a group heading to the Mata Mahakali temple from Ballarpur town to Chandrapur city late Saturday night.
He was walking alongside a neighbour when a leopard attacked and dragged him away at a spot near Visapur toll naka, a forest official said.
As news spread, hundreds of people joined the search with police and forest department teams.
The boy was later found lying injured in the nearby bushes. He had sustained a deep wound to his neck, which left him unable to call out for help and initially went unnoticed by those searching nearby, the official said
The child was immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Camera traps have since been installed in the area to locate the leopard, the official added.