Kannur: After a tense 7 hours, a wild leopard that strayed into Kannur town was tranquilized by forest officials Sunday night.
The leopard that spread panic in the area and mauled at least 4 persons was shot by a team led by Dr Arun Zachariah.
The news came as a relief to thousands of people who stayed awake at Thayatheru to see the operation by officials.
The leopard has been taken in a cage and will be shifted from the area.
Captured: leopard which kept Kannur on tenterhooks lands in TVPM | Pix
The leopard was first spotted in a bush near Thayatheru Moideen mosque around 3 pm. The district collector had issued section 144 in Kazanakotta area following the incident.
The injured have been hospitalized. Among the injured, one was a Bengali while the other two were Kerala natives.
One of the victims was attacked in front of his house while two others came under attack when they went in search of the animal.
The forest department sounded an alert in the area and warned people against venturing outside their houses. Officials of the police, forest and fire force camped in the area and made sure that the leopard did not venture out again by laying a net around the area.
The leopard disappeared into a bush following shouts and screams by the locals who assembled in the area. The police and the forest officials moved into the bush once they got the permission to shoot at the animal.