Leopard spotted in residential area of Jaipur, search on

A leopard was spotted in a residential area of Jaipur, causing panic among the locals, said officials on Saturday.

The feline was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the Lal Bahadur Nagar colony of Durgapura residential area, where former MP Ramcharan Bohra also resides, on Friday night, prompting residents to alert the forest department, they said.

A team of forest officials immediately launched a search operation, but the animal has not yet been traced, Regional Forest Officer (RFO) Jitendra Singh Shekhawat said.

He said that no human or animal casualties were reported.

''Teams are searching the locality, though the leopard may have returned to the nearby Jhalana forest,'' Shekhawat said.

The Jhalana forest area, located close to the colony, is home to over 40 leopards, and officials said it is common for leopards to stray into residential areas occasionally.

Forest department teams continued their search on Saturday morning and appealed to residents to remain indoors during the night and report any fresh sightings.

Locals said leopards have been spotted several times in nearby residential areas, likely entering in search of prey such as stray dogs.