A 75-year-old woman was killed by a big cat in the Dhaurahra forest range of the North Kheri forest division in this Uttar Pradesh district on Tuesday, officials said.
The victim has been identified as Ramkali, a resident of Ramnagar Bagha village located within the Dhaurahra kotwali limits, they said.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), North Kheri, Saureesh Sahai confirmed the incident and told PTI that "forest officials have been rushed to the spot to ascertain if the big cat was a leopard or a tiger".
However, local forest officials, after examining the pugmark of the animal on the spot, said it was a leopard.
Leopard movement is quite frequent in the Dhaurahra area.
The elderly woman was sleeping in her hutment adjacent to her field when the big cat attacked her and grabbed her by the neck, the officials said.
Her son Rame shouted for help and the animal ran away. However, the woman was killed on the spot.
The officials said the body will be sent for post-mortem and further action will be taken after the report comes.
Published 04 July 2023, 09:07 IST