A 48-year-old woman was killed in a leopard attack while returning home from her fields in Nelamangala taluk, Bengaluru Rural district, on Sunday evening. Officials confirmed the incident, stating that the victim, identified as Karimamma, was attacked around 6:30 pm near Kambalu Gollarhatti village.

Bengaluru Rural Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Sarina Chikkaligar explained that the woman’s family raised the alarm when she did not return home by 7 pm, as she typically did. A search was launched, and at around 9 am the following day, the family found a trail of blood that led them to her body about 100 meters from the starting point. Authorities believe the leopard consumed parts of her body, including her head.

The body was sent for a post-mortem at Nelamangala public hospital, and a case was filed at the Dobbaspet police station. After the autopsy, the body was returned to the family.

“We have set up 15 trap cameras and 15 cages at different locations in the area to capture the leopard as quickly as possible,” she said.

She added that a 30-member leopard task force has been mobilized to track and apprehend the animal without delay.

In the wake of the attack, villagers staged a protest against the forest department, voicing frustration over the lack of preventive measures. “There are no forest guards stationed here,” one local resident said. “They only come after an attack happens, but there’s no proactive effort to ensure our safety.”