16-Month-Old Girl Mauled To Death By Leopard On Diwali

In a tragic turn of events, a 16-month-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard on Monday, October 24. The child was killed by the leopard in Aarey Milk Colony, Mumbai.

The girl, Eitikha Akhilesh Lot was mauled by the leopard when her mother, Bharati, left the door open when she went to light a diya in a temple. Her daughter followed her out and a leopard attacked the girl and grievously injured her. She was rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared her deceased.

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Girl Mauled To Death

The girl’s grandfather, Manoj Lot said it was early morning and only the girl and mother. He said, “The leopard jumped out from the bushes, got hold of her, and ran away. The mother had her back turned to the child. She started shouting for help as soon as she realised what had happened, and everybody rushed out of their houses”.

He added that family members and neighbours searched the forest and the forest officials were also contacted. After over an hour, neighbours spotted the child and the leapord was sitting beside her.

According to Wasim Athania, the child was found around 300 metres away from the house and had sustained serious injuries on her neck and shoulders. He said, “We drove the leopard away and rushed the child to hospital”.

According to members of the late girl's family, while the child was being taken to the hospital the leopard returned to the compound. Neighbours also reported that the leopard was spotted 2 days before the incident.

The forest officials said they installed 12 camera traps and a trap cage within a kilometer radius of the incident. Night patrolling and the cameras will be used to identify and monitory the movements of the big cat.

An official said that an accidental death report (ADR) was registered in the case and that further investigation was underway. The official added that authorities deployed a wildlife ambulance, wildlife distress response teams from the Mumbai forest department and volunteers in the area.

Rescuers, veterinarians, leopard experts, and senior officials from the forest department will be stationed around the area for the week.