02 November,2026 10:56 AM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondent
Representational image. File pic
A 65-year-old woman was killed in a leopard attack in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Monday. Angry villagers have threatened to stage a protest if the animal is not captured soon.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening in Mategaon village, under the Dahanu forest division.
The leopard suddenly pounced on Tulsi Rama Sawar, an agricultural labourer from Sarshi village in Vikramgad taluka, and grabbed her by the neck. She died on the spot, Vangaon Assistant Police Inspector Tushar Pachpute said.
Locals rushed to the spot after hearing the commotion, but the animal fled into a nearby forest under the cover of darkness.
The woman's body was sent to a government hospital for a postmortem examination. Police registered a case of accidental death, the official said.
Angry villagers and farmers have threatened to march to the district collectorate if camera traps and cages are not installed immediately to capture the leopard.
The residents have called for urgent action to prevent further attacks and secure the area.
In a separate incident, earlier in October, a 52-year-old woman was killed in an alleged leopard attack in Palghar district, marking the first human fatality linked to human-leopard conflict in the area in nearly eight years.
Victim identity: Pangli Govind Kolha, lived in Bhoglepada No. 2 near Navali village, with her home located along the forest fringe.
Timeline of events: She was last seen on the evening of October 8 and is believed to have entered the adjoining forest early on October 9, when the attack occurred.
Body recovery: Her body was discovered in a forest patch at Reserved Forest Survey Number Lo/9, Navali village, within the Vevur beat.
Official confirmation: Following a joint investigation by forest and police personnel, a post-mortem on October 11 confirmed death by a wild animal attack.
The incident has left residents and forest department officials surprised, as leopard sightings near Navali have been extremely rare, with no previous record of human-leopard conflict in the area. While big cat sightings are relatively frequent in the Boisar and Dahisar forest ranges in Palghar district, Navali had remained largely quiet until now.
(With inputs from PTI)
