As the Leopard begins to make inroads into populated areas of towns and villages across the Udaipur division, a 35 year old woman was mauled by the animal at Rajnag in Rajsamand on August 26, 2024 in the afternoon.

Rakma Bhil, wife of Rama Bhil from Kana Talab Morwad, was grazing goats with her 17-year-old niece when the leopard attacked her and dragged her into the jungle.

According to Station House Officer of Rajnagar police station, Ramesh Meena, the leopard caught Rakma by its jaws and carried her away. Her niece, witnessing the horrifying scene, ran back to the village to seek help. Despite the villagers' quick response and their efforts to create a commotion to drive the leopard away, Rakma had already succumbed to her injuries by the time help arrived.

The villagers initially refused to accept Rakma's body, demanding compensation for her family. But later following the negotiations with the police, they somehow agreed to take the body in the evening.

Rakma is survived by three sons and two daughters, the eldest being 17 years old. Her husband had passed away three years ago, and Rakma had been supporting her family through goat farming.

The situation escalated when villagers gathered at the mortuary, protesting the frequent panther attacks and demanding compensation for Rakma's family. They voiced their concerns about the need to provide for her five minor children and expressed frustration with the Forest Department and local administration. Kankroli Station House Officer Hanwant Singh Sodha and Deputy Forest Conservator Sudarshan Sharma visited the mortuary to address the protesters' grievances.

Deputy Forest Conservator, Sudarshan Sharma said, "Five Cages, three at one site and two at other sites have been installed to catch the leopard. A team equipped with tranquilizers were called from Udaipur and one of the team arrived at Rajsamand in the evening on August 27, to catch the animal. Apart from that, an amount of Rs. 5 lakhs will be provided to the family members of the deceased woman and one of her sons will be provided job at the forest department in Rajsamand, once he will turn 18".

In a similar incident that took place on June 28, a leopard killed a 43 year old man identified as Ransingh Mundavat , from Morwad of Rajsamand. He  worked as a trailer driver in the Umthi area.

Villagers believe that the leopard has become man-eating and is increasingly targeting humans.

This attack is the fourth major leopard incident in Rajsamand district in the past three months. Earlier, a leopard had abducted a minor girl near Delwada, and on June 18, it had also attacked a man in Borj village. The Forest Department is actively working to manage the situation and enhance safety measures to prevent future attacks.