In a heartbreaking incident in Dahitne village, Daund Taluka, Pune district, an 11-month-old baby was taken by a leopard early in the morning. After an extensive 18-hour search conducted by the Forest Department, local citizens, and the police, the baby’s body was found in a nearby field, reported TV9 Marathi.
In this incident of man-animal conflict in Pune district, panic gripped the Daund area of Pune district after a woman claimed that her 11-month-old son, Anvit Bhise, was taken by a leopard while they were sleeping on a farm early Wednesday morning. The family resides in a small village nearby.
A large-scale search was launched throughout the day by Forest Department teams and Wildlife SOS volunteers. However, no evidence—such as pug marks or other signs of leopard presence—was found during the operation.
In March, months after the suspected leopard attack that claimed the life of a 50-year-old woman farmer in Kadethan village, Daund Taluka, a police investigation uncovered a chilling truth — it was not a wild animal, but a planned murder.
Pune Rural Police on Tuesday arrested the woman's husband's nephew, who currently serves as the deputy sarpanch of the village, along with a labourer employed by him. Authorities now believe the leopard attack was staged to cover up the crime.
The breakthrough came after inconsistencies in the evidence led officers to question the initial theory. Further investigation revealed human involvement, pointing to a deliberate act rather than an animal attack.
