In a second incident in the last four months in Mumbai, a 50-year-old tribal woman was killed on Saturday night at Powai after she ventured out of her home to answer nature’s call.
“Sita Nevsha Pange, a tribal residing in Maroshi Pada in Powai lost her life due to a leopard attack,” confirmed a police officer attached with the Aarey police station.
“The leopard attacked her somewhere between 9.30 and 10 pm, when she went out of her home to answer nature’s call,” said Rajesh Sanap, a volunteer with Sanjay Gandhi National Park, who was at the accident spot on Saturday night.
Locals left to look for her after she did not return home, only to find her body with teeth and claw marks on her neck.
After attacking her, the wild cat did not take the woman inside the forest, but left her body a few meters away from the pada.
Maroshi Pada is on the periphery of the forest adjoining Powai area; as it is a settlement on the periphery of the forest, there are a lot of stray dogs in the area, which are an easy prey for leopards.
The forest department has time and again maintained that stray dogs are one of the major reasons for increased leopard attacks.
The leopard was already sitting close to Maroshi Pada waiting for a kill, when the victim was attacked.
Soon after the incident, the situation was tense in the area.
To add to the confusion, police officers from Aarey and Powai police stations were busy arguing under whose jurisdiction the area came under.
The Asian Age had earlier reported about frequent visits by leopards in the Powai area, including the Royal Palms.
On July 16, seven-year-old Sanjana Thorat who used to reside on the periphery of SGNP in Mulund was killed in a similar fashion.