A wild leopard entered a village in Alipurduar-I block of the district on Sunday and injured eight persons, including a woman and two forest staffers.

Teams led by senior forest officials put nets in some areas of village Ghatpar where the animal is suspected to be hiding. Cages are ready. A team with dart guns has been posted.

Sources said around 10am, villagers spotted the leopard in a bush. Soon, it attacked villager Rezina Bibi who was coming out of her house. As her family raised an alert, it fled.

As the news spread, people from nearby villages reached Ghatpar for a glimpse of the animal. Soon, two other villagers, Ali Mian and Babul Mian, were attacked.

Foresters from four ranges of Jaldapara National Park and a wildlife squad from Madarihat led by Debdarshan Roy, assistant wildlife warden of Jaldapara, and Nabojit Dey, additional divisional forest officer of Jaldapara wildlife division, reached Ghatpar.

The leopard attacked and injured foresters Amal Roy and Lakhkhapati Roy.

Foresters tried to disperse the crowds in vain. The leopard attacked villager Rafikul Mian and two others.

Recurring attacks made foresters stop the search and ask villagers to go home. This time, people realised the seriousness of the situation and obeyed the instructions.