Two-year-old girl killed in leopard attack in Dindori

Nashik: A two-year-old girl was killed in a leopard attack at the Valkhed village in Nashik's Dindori taluka late on Tuesday night, triggering panic and concern across the rural area.The deceased child, Dnyaneshwari More, was the daughter of a migrant worker staying at a farm in the village. On Tuesday night, the leopard suddenly pounced on the child and dragged her away before anyone could intervene, the officials said.Following information about the incident, teams of forest department and police personnel visited the spot and launched a search operation with the help of residents. The child's body was later found in a nearby orchard, a short distance from the site of the attack.A panchnama was conducted, after which the body was sent to the Dindori rural hospital for postmortem.Forest officials said the incident is being treated seriously, as frequent leopard movement has been reported in Valkhed and surrounding villages in recent months. Three cages have been installed near the spot to trap the animal, while four trap cameras have been set up to monitor its movement. Pugmarks were also found in the area, officials added.Patrolling by forest staff has been intensified to prevent further incidents. The department has appealed to residents to remain alert, particularly during early morning and evening hours, avoid leaving children unattended, move in groups while working in fields and use torches at night.Officials said the process to provide financial compensation to the bereaved family, as per norms, has been initiated. The incident has once again highlighted growing human-wildlife conflict in the fringe villages of Dindori, where leopard sightings have increased in recent years.