The man eaters of Seraj Valley are still on prowl as a 32-year-old man was grievously injured in his house when a big cat sneaked into his residence and attacked him around 5 pm on Monday.
Devender Kumar, resident of Bunali village became the latest victim of the animal attack. This attack happened after shooters from Hyderabad, hired by the Forest department to kill the man eaters, claimed that they had shot the blood thirsty leopard down in Shikari belt.
On Sunday, Kasmir Singh (29) was devoured by the leopard. The deceased was returning home after alighting at the local bus stand when he was stalked by the man eater for quite some distance. When he failed to reach home in time, his parents went searching for their son only to find his mutilated corpse in a deep gorge.
Fear of man eaters is looming large in and around the area. The people are now hiding in their houses and are wary of venturing out in the dark. It is being said that the leopards have come so close to the village that their roar can be heard at night.
Around half a dozen people have fallen prey to these big cats during July till date which has triggered a sense of fear and gloom in the people living in and around the area.
Radha Devi, resident of Thacha Dhar village, was killed by a leopard on July 18 when she went out to work in the fields. Jethu Ram of Shikwari village was attacked by a big cat, two days after the first incident, on July 20 when he went out to answer the call of nature. In this encounter, he lost one of his legs and currently his condition is serious, said sources.
It is being feared that a large number of big cats have turned man eaters after tasting human blood. Certainly, it is time for the government to think seriously about man-animal conflict which turns fatal most of the times.