Vadodara: A leopard was allegedly beaten to death, dumped in the river and later taken out and burnt, said a forest official on Sunday. A farm labourer, Bhagwan Mala, has been detained in connection with the leopard’s death.
He sustained a minor injury when he was attacked by the feline while working on his field in Chikhli village under Una tehsil of Gir-Somnath district. After managing to escape from there, Mala asked a few of his friends to come to his field with axe and wooden sticks.
The group of men then allegedly beat up the carnivore to death. They tied its legs to a heavy stone and threw the carcass in a river near the village, the official said.
However, after they learnt that other villagers and forest officials came to know of the incident, the men took out the animal's carcass from the river and burnt it after sprinkling petrol over it on Friday, to destroy evidence.
"We detained Bhagwan Mala last night and are on the look out of 5-7 other persons also allegedly involved in the incident," the official, who is a member of the team investigating the matter, told PTI over phone.
He said the forest department will register a case with police in this regard under relevant provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
