Search teams recover child's body after leopard raid in Gujarat

A coordinated effort by local villagers, police and the Gujarat forest department resulted in the recovery of a child’s body after a leopard entered Bheenaar village in Navsari district on October 6. The three‑year‑old boy, identified as Arav Patel, was playing outside his home when the predator lifted him and fled toward the fields.

Forest officers and a range forest officer arrived promptly after receiving the distress call. The search extended across the fields and surrounding dry scrub, lasting several hours. Eventually, rescuers found the child’s remains close to the farmland and transferred them for post‑mortem testing at Vansda Cottage Hospital.

Officials have opened a formal investigation. Compensation for the family is being arranged, and the forest department has deployed five teams to track and capture the leopard responsible for the attack.