On January 22, a motorcyclist in Vasai narrowly escaped unhurt after a big cat reportedly attempted to pounce on him late Tuesday night as he was returning home from work, the police said. Following the alleged attack, the motorcyclist, identified as Shah Rukh Khan, fell off his bike on a country-made road and shouted for help, which supposedly scared the leopard and prompted security personnel to rush to his aid.

However, while initial claims suggested that a leopard had attacked the motorcyclist, forest department officials have confirmed that Shah Rukh Khan later admitted to fabricating the story. He revealed that he had actually fallen off his bike after hitting a pothole. Adding to the confusion, another worker, Vishal Gaund, downloaded a photo of a cheetah from the internet and falsely circulated it, claiming he had captured the image himself. Both individuals have received warnings from the forest department.