UP: Leopard on the loose; shops, institutes shut

Meerut, Feb 24: Sparking a scare in UP's Meerut was a Leopard that had strayed from the nearby forest reserve area. It was first spotted in the cantonement area of Meerut on Sunday morning.

Shocked, the people went helter-skelter and could only be controlled when police landed lathis.

The police also shot a bullet in the air when the Leopard jumped on rooftops and walls till it entered a hospital. Following this, it entered a ward where 5 patients were admitted. While the staff managed to rescue these patients and lock the room, trapping the animal, they were unable to hold it for long.

The crowd stayed vigil outside the hospital the entire of Sunday morning, but the Leopard jumped off from the window, injuring two men and vanished. Even a massive contingent of police and the army's quick rescue team could not trace the animal since then.

Ironically, although the hospital was not far from the reserved area, no expert was available the whole of Sunday to catch the animal. Now, teams have also been called from Rajasthan and Delhi.

While straying wild cats in settlements is not unfamiliar in the city, shops and educational institutes have been shut due to the scare.

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