From joy to mourning: Leopard mauls 3-year-old to death in Nashik; sister ties rakhi before cremation

NASHIK: Six-year-old Shreya was looking forward to Rakshabandhan as her three-year-old brother, Ayush Bhagat, had promised her a special gift. Instead, on Saturday, the girl had to tie the rakhi on the wrist of her deceased brother, who was killed in a leopard attack the night before.The incident occurred in the Wadner Range Road area, on the outskirts of Nashik city.Family members said Ayush was playing near his home around 8.30pm on Friday when he was attacked by a leopard. The family did not know of the attack immediately. They realised that the boy was not outside when there was no response to calls from his father.

Panicked, the family members immediately started searching for the boy. During their search, they discovered bloodstains in a nearby tomato farm. The family members shouted Ayush's name and combed the field. Within minutes, villagers joined the search. One villager also reported the incident to the fire department. Forest guard Anil Ahirrao said, "A team of over 10 forest personnel were deployed to search for Ayush in the dark. The forest department used thermal drone cameras to trace him. At 11.45pm, the drone captured the leopard in a field, 1.5 km from the Bhagat family home."As the villagers rushed to the sugar cane field, the leopard fled. Ayush's body was found with severe injuries to the back.