23 September,2026 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
The leopard was allegedly hit by an unidentified vehicle near Gokuldham in Goregaon East late on Saturday night. Illustrations/Uday Mohite
The forest department has launched a search operation after receiving information that a leopard was allegedly hit by an unidentified vehicle near the Gokuldham area in Goregaon East late on Saturday night. The animal is believed to have fled into bushes adjoining the Aarey Milk Colony following the incident.
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According to the Thane Forest Department (Territorial), it received information from a caller from Gokuldham on Sunday about the incident. The caller reportedly said that a vehicle, believed to be an autorickshaw, had accidentally collided with the leopard while it was crossing the road near a school. The vehicle allegedly overturned following the impact, while the leopard ran towards the bushes in Aarey Milk Colony.
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Frequent leopard sightings have been reported around Aarey over the past one or two weeks. Representation Pic/iStock
Following the information, the Thane Forest Department (Territorial) range forest officer alerted the forest staff concerned. A team visited the spot on Sunday afternoon where the leopard was reportedly last seen and searched the surrounding area for indirect signs indicating the big cat's presence. However, the team did not find any such signs during the search.
The forest department launched a search after receiving information about the incident the following day from the Thane Forest Department (Territorial) range forest officer
Forest officials are trying to obtain CCTV footage from the area to establish exactly what happened and ascertain whether the vehicle involved can be identified. A CCTV camera was installed outside a school near the incident site.
"We are trying to secure the CCTV footage so that we get an idea about what exactly happened. If we get the number of the vehicle which allegedly hit the animal, we will also speak to its owner to understand what happened," a forest department official said.
A team visited the spot where the leopard was reportedly last seen on Sunday afternoon, examined CCTV footage, and searched for indirect signs indicating the big cat's presence
The incident location is not far from Dudhsagar Society, adjacent to Aarey Milk Colony, where frequent leopard sightings have been reported over the past one to two weeks.
A forest department official told mid-day that people in the area have also been requested to inform the forest department if they spot an injured leopard or any leopard in the vicinity.
