Bhopal, Jan 3 (IANS) Villagers in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh killed a leopard, which attacked and injured at least six people including a woman in the past few days, officials said Saturday. “The incident occurred Friday in Tarned village, six km from Dhar district headquarters, where the villagers attacked the wild cat with sticks and other weapons after it attacked and injured two persons critically,” said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Raghvendra Shrivastava.

The DFO said the wild cat died on the spot before a forest department team, equipped with dart guns and sedatives, could reach the village.

“The villagers were too furious and forest officials present on the occasion were unable to dissuade them from attacking the leopard,” he said, adding the leopard had attacked and injured five to six people in the past two to three days.

“Apart from the wounds from sticks, the doctors also found some pellets in the leopard’s body, indicating that a bullet was also fired by the villagers,” Shrivastava said, citing the post mortem report.

It is presumed that lack of water and prey drove the leopard into the village from the adjoining jungles of Mandav, Dhamnod and Tanda that have 12 to 14 leopards.