A leopard reportedly dragged the child from the courtyard of a farmhouse in Dedkiyal village. Ten cages have been deployed and 30–35 Forest Department personnel are searching for the animal.
Junagadh, Gujarat | September 24, 2026
A five-year-old girl was killed in a leopard attack at Dedkiyal village in Mendarda taluka of Junagadh district on Wednesday night, triggering fear and anger among local residents.
The child, identified as Prisha, was playing outside the farmhouse where her family works as sharecroppers when a leopard suddenly attacked her and dragged her towards nearby agricultural fields.
Leopard Drags Child Into Fields
According to The Blunt Times, the attack occurred at around 9.30 pm on September 23. Another local report places it closer to 11 pm, so the precise time varies between reports.
Prisha was reportedly playing in the courtyard when the leopard pounced and carried her away towards the fields. The Blunt Times reported that the incident was captured on CCTV.
Family members and villagers immediately began searching for the child.
After an operation lasting nearly two hours, her body was discovered in a soybean field.
Family Demands Leopard Be Captured
The incident has generated considerable anger in Dedkiyal.
Prisha’s family reportedly refused to accept her body until the leopard responsible for the attack was captured.
Her uncle, Ketanbhai Solanki, also demanded ₹25 lakh in financial assistance from the state government for the family.
Ten Cages Deployed to Capture Leopard
The Gujarat Forest Department has launched a large-scale operation to locate and capture the leopard.
According to Range Forest Officer H.D. Galchar, personnel were mobilised after information about the attack was received.
Around 30 to 35 Forest Department personnel from four neighbouring ranges have been deployed, while 10 cages have been positioned at strategic locations in an attempt to trap the animal.
The operation is continuing as residents remain apprehensive about the leopard’s presence around the village.
Villagers Allege Delay in Forest Department Response
Residents and the victim’s family have alleged that Forest Department personnel were late in reaching the area following the attack.
Forest officials have disputed that account.
Galchar said department personnel were already participating in the search and that teams from surrounding ranges were brought in to strengthen the operation.
Junagadh Has Gujarat’s Largest Leopard Population
The incident has again focused attention on human-leopard encounters in Junagadh.
According to the 2023 Gujarat leopard census figures cited by the original report, Gujarat recorded 2,274 leopards, with Junagadh district accounting for 578 — the highest number among the state’s districts.
Leopards are highly adaptable and can survive in landscapes containing forests, agricultural fields and human settlements. Such shared landscapes can, however, create dangerous encounters when the animals move close to homes and villages.
Junagadh has seen other recent wildlife encounters as well. Earlier this month, Uparkot Fort remained closed to visitors for several days following a leopard sighting inside the historic complex.
Capturing the Animal Is Now the Immediate Priority
For Forest Department teams, locating the leopard involved in the Dedkiyal attack is now the immediate task.
The deployment of cages and personnel is intended both to capture the animal and to reduce the risk of another encounter while fear remains high among villagers.
Beyond the immediate operation, the tragedy highlights the difficult challenge facing wildlife managers in landscapes where large carnivores, agricultural activity and human settlements increasingly overlap.
For Prisha’s family, however, the conservation debate is overshadowed by an immeasurable personal loss.
A child playing outside her home was taken within moments, leaving an entire village demanding that authorities prevent another such tragedy.
Source credit: . Additional cross-check: DeshGujarat.
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