Residents on the edge after leopard attack in Indore’s Bicholi Mardana

Indore: Residents of Bicholi Mardana area in the city remained on the edge on Wednesday after a leopard attacked a motorcycle-borne delivery worker on Tuesday night. The incident took place in the mixed urban-rural locality located adjacent to the Ralamandal and Devguradiya forest areas.

According to authorities, the delivery worker escaped unhurt by jumping off his motorcycle when the attack happened.Indore divisional forest officer (DFO) Lal Sudhakar Singh said tracking teams launched a search immediately after the sighting.“The leopard is believed to have returned to its natural habitat, likely retreating into the Devguradiya forest range,” Singh said. Despite continued surveillance, wildlife officials have not found conclusive evidence of the animal remaining within residential areas.Officials said the geography of Bicholi Mardana makes it prone to human-wildlife conflict. Ralamandal and Devguradiya forests have an active population of more than 10 leopards, which are often drawn to bordering townships by stray dogs and small domestic animals.Over the past year, leopards have been spotted more than a dozen times in colonies along the Indore bypass, including on the IIT Indore campus. While a leopard was recently rescued from the Asraward grid, most animals have retreated into the forest on their own.The forest department has advised residents to avoid unnecessary movement at night, not to approach any wildlife, and to keep pets indoors after dark.