Ghaziabad: After a leopard was spotted near Madhuban Babbudham in Ghaziabad, it vanished into thick bushes. The head forest officer, Manish Singh, said two teams are watching the area closely.  

The forest department officials said their teams went to the jungle area near Madhuban Bapudham around 3.30 p.m. on February 25 and sighted a fully grown leopard.  

The forest officer also informed the Ghaziabad Development Authority, which is building homes nearby, to clean up the bushes. The bushes are where the leopard hides, so it's important to make sure it's not safe for the leopard to stay there.  

The locals in the area said they sighted the leopard once when it got tangled in a plastic net. “The plastic net was placed to trap wild boars, but the leopard got trapped in it. After seeing this, we informed the police, and they called up the forest department. By the time the teams arrived, the leopard freed itself and ed,” said Mohammad Khamis, who lives in Madhuban Bapudham.  

Officials from the forest department confirmed that they observed the leopard and have officially confirmed its presence.  

“It is expected that the leopard has moved to some other location for now, and we are trying to trace it. The animal may have ventured outside of some wildlife sanctuary or the sugarcane fields in western Uttar Pradesh, where sugarcane harvesting has been done. Similar sightings happened in January and February last year in Ghaziabad city, as this is the season when leopards move out of jungle areas,” the DFO said.