Bhubaneswar: A leopard was spotted in Palaspalli area hardly a few metres away from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence here on Sunday night, causing panic and scare among the residents.
In CCTV footages, the leopard can be seen entering the premises of a house at around 11 pm. However, the current whereabouts of the wild animal is yet to be known.
One Bankanidi Senapati said that he saw the leopard sneaked into the residential area at around 11 pm. It is speculated that the animal might have strayed into the city from the Chandaka forest range on the outskirts of the city.
“I was talking over phone at around 11 pm near my house. I a saw a leopard jumped off from the boundary wall of the airport and sneaked into the premises of the house,” said Senapati.
On learning about the presence of the leopard in the premises, the State Forest department started a search operation.
“If the leopard is spotted, I would urge the locals not to disturb the animal. We will take necessary steps to capture the wildcat,” said City DFO Ashok Mishra.
The place where the leopard was spotted is hardly few metres away from Naveen Niwas, the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
