Midnight shocker: Inmates panic as leopard enters house in Valparai

Scared upon seeing the animal, the family rushed into a room and locked themselves inside until the Forest department staff arrived and chased away the animal into the forest cover.

According to the Forest department, the leopard is believed to have entered the house of Anil, who was employed in a private tea estate and residing near ‘Kurangumudi Estate’, through the door at his house that was left unlocked. His family members had forgotten to latch the door and had fallen asleep.

Suddenly, they were woken up by the loud roar of the leopard in close quarters. “More shock was in store as Anil and his family spotted the furious leopard being beside them in their room,” said an official.

Acting swiftly, the family rushed into another room and locked themselves inside. Upon hearing loud screams, the neighbours gathered in front of the house. They then had a glimpse of the carnivore, which had leapt over and remained still on a wooden beam in the house.

In a short while, a team of Forest department staff from Manampalli Forest Range arrived and sent the people, who kept trooping, away to avoid creating any disturbance to the restless animal. After keeping the doors and windows ajar, the officials then managed to chase the leopard away back into the forest cover.

In another incident, Raja (42), a daily wager from Coonoor in the Nilgiris district, had left his five goats tied at a tea estate near his house on Wednesday night.

Upon hearing loud noise, Raja, who had gone outside to check, found three of his goats missing, while two others were lying dead with injuries on them. The Forest department confirmed the intruder to be a leopard.