Locals carrying a leopard that had strayed into the city/Reuters File

In a shocking incident, a wild leopard strolled into a hospital and attacked six people in the Northern Indian city of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. The entire city was then put on a lockdown, while schools and colleges have been shut.

The animal, which was first spotted in the city on Sunday, was captured late in the afternoon on Monday.

Meerut, which lies between the plains of the Ganges and those of the Yamuna, has a population of 3.5 million, and the entire city came to a stand still. The leopard was captured but not before it left six people injured, a report in Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency noted. A press photographer is understood to be one of the people who were attacked. 

The army personnel, by Monday afternoon, got involved in the operation. However, as per sources, the civilian population still turned up around the area to catch a glimpse of the animal.

A Defence spokesperson informed that the Army first cordoned off the densely populated area and then summoned an expert team from the Wildlife Trust. According to forest officials, the leopard strayed into the city from the neighboring jungles. It was tranquilised and was taken by the forest officials, who plan to release it into the wild.

There have been an increase in the man-animal conflict, reported from India. Last November, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, three incidents of attacks on humans, by a man-eater tiger, was reported.

Similarly, in an alarming video footage from Mumbai, one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the country, a leopard was seen creeping into an residence block and snatching a small dog, which it quickly dragged away from the scene.

Meanwhile, several people took to Twitter to give updates on the incident in Meerut.

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