People spot another leopard in Bengaluru

As Forest Department officials were busy placing a cage near Vibgyor School at Varthur to trap a leopard, a woman spotted a big cat 6 km away at Nallurahalli near Whitefield.

Officials were placing a cage with a bait as residents around Vibgyor School had claimed to have spotted a leopard on Tuesday night.

Lalithamma, a contract labourer, said that she saw the leopard behind Divyashree Tech Park when she was returning home from work around 5:30 pm. Lalithamma said she spotted the leopard along with a dog. The area is behind the Anjaneya Temple, Wipro and Accenture offices. A portion of this plot where the animal was seen leads to big apartment complexes.

Range Forest Officer Veeranna told Deccan Herald that after locals confirmed sighting a leopard at Nallurahalli, forest officials have been stationed in the area. A cage will be kept there on Thursday. “Nothing much can be done as it is dark. Search operation will resume early Thursday morning,” Veeranna added.

Forest officials said it was too early to confirm whether one or two leopards were roaming the area. Officials said they saw fresh pug marks which confirmed the leopard’s presence. But neither the forest officials nor the police have had any direct sighting.

Holiday for 132 schools
The Department of Public Instruction has declared holiday for 53 government and 79 private schools on Thursday. Block Education Officer (South Zone-4) S M Ramesh said all government and private schools in the four clusters of Marathahalli, Varthur, Immadihalli and Doddakannelli would remain closed.