Lakhimpur Kheri: In a shocking incident in Gyanpur village of Lakhimpur Kheri district, a five-year-old boy was taken by a leopard while sleeping alongside his father in a field hut.
His body was discovered several hours later in a nearby sugarcane field.
Sushil Kashyap, a local farmer, had gone to guard his field around 9 PM on Saturday, accompanied by his younger son, Badal. After dinner, both slept in a hut on the farmland.
Around 1 AM, Sushil woke up to find his son missing from the cot. Assuming the child had stepped out briefly, he began searching, but found no trace. Just a few meters away from the hut, he noticed leopard footprints, which left him alarmed.
Sushil quickly alerted his family and fellow villagers. More than 20 residents joined the search effort. They later discovered signs indicating the presence of the leopard and eventually located the child’s body in the nearby sugarcane field, about 150 meters from the hut on Sunday morning.
The family was devastated by the discovery. Badal’s mother, Lakshmi, fainted on seeing her son's body and had to be revived by the villagers. The child had recently started school and was the younger of two sons.
Forest officials said the village is located just 5 kilometers from the Gola forest range, which is known to be home to leopards and tigers.
Ranger Sanjeev Tiwari stated that villagers had been previously advised to stay away from forested areas during the night due to recent wildlife sightings.
DFO Sanjay Biswal of the South Forest Division said that 8 to 10 leopards and a similar number of tigers have been active in and around the Gola and Sharda ranges. A leopard was also seen near Indira Amusement Park just a few days ago.
