A leopard on the loose has killed at least seven people in Rajasthan’s Udaipur over the past fortnight, striking fear across 20 villages with people confining themselves to houses and schools shutting down.

An over 100-member team from the forest department, police and the army has surrounded a 20km area spanning two villages — Kelvon Ka Kheda and Rathod Ka Guda — near Udaipur City, where the last two attacks happened, deputy superintendent of police Gajendra Singh said.

District forest officer Ajay Chittora said the pattern of the attacks indicated they were all inflicted by the same leopard.

Gogunda station house officer Shaitan Singh Nathawat said villagers had confined themselves to their homes and when they do go out, they carry sticks.

The forest department had on Tuesday issued permission to shoot down the animal. Search teams have been firing crackers and playing drums to draw the big cat out. A trap has been set near a rainwater drain in Kelvon Ki Dhani where the leopard’s pug marks were seen.

Locals say leopards never attacked humans before, but the pattern seems to have broken with repeated skirmishes.

“We are avoiding going to collect fodder for the cattle,” villager Bhagwati Lal said. Schools in Rathod Ka Guda have been closed in view of children’s safety.