In the Indian state of Rajasthan, a leopard wandered into a town market, broke into a liquor store, and injured three people. To prevent further attacks, local residents locked the predator inside the shop, triggering a nearly five-hour rescue operation, according to the website infohub.kz.
The incident occurred in the morning in the town of Todaraisingh in the Tonk district. According to the Forest Department, the leopard was first spotted in bushes near the settlement. When forest officer Rakesh Mali went to check a report from residents, the animal attacked him, injuring his legs, before fleeing toward a busy market.
Witnesses said the leopard attacked a man sitting near the liquor store on the market, then ran inside and injured the shopkeeper. Despite his injuries, the employee managed to escape outside.
While the predator remained inside, residents quickly lowered the protective shutters, trapping it. The injured were hospitalized, two of them with serious injuries.
Forest department specialists and a wild animal capture team from the Jaipur Zoo arrived at the scene. After nearly five hours, the leopard was tranquilized and taken for a veterinary checkup.
Veterinarian Ashok Tanwar, who led the operation, said the rescued animal was an adult male. According to him, in over 60 such operations, this was the first time a leopard had to be extracted from a liquor store.
The Forest Department believes the predator inadvertently ventured into human areas after straying from its natural habitat. During the rescue operation, police cordoned off the area to prevent crowds and ensure residents' safety.