A leopard that killed three children in Uttarakhand's Tehri district was shot dead by a forest department team, officials said on Wednesday.

The leopard, which has been terrorising villages in the Bhilangana forest range, was killed near Bhaur village around 10 pm on Tuesday, Tehri Divisional forest Officer (DFO) Puneet Tomar said.

CCTV footage and camera traps revealed that the leopard had been injured earlier, Tomar added.

The killing of the leopard has brought relief to the forest department, local authorities and the public, he said.

The leopard had killed three children over the past three months -- one in Bhaur village on July 23, another in Purwal village on September 29 and the third in Kot-Mahar village on October 19 -- causing widespread fear among villagers.

However, the DFO has urged villagers to continue taking precautions.

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