Tension sparked in Jalpaiguri's Dakshin Kherkata village on Wednesday, as villagers reported sighting leopards again within 48 hours of one being trapped.

On October 19, a leopard pounced on a 12-year-old girl of the village and killed her. To trap the animal, foresters put up cages with baits. On October 28, a leopard, suspected to have killed the girl, was trapped in one of the cages.

On Wednesday morning, some villagers said they saw another leopard roaming around. On foresters being informed, a team from the Kherkata forest beat reached the spot.

“We found pugmarks of two leopards. One seems to be an adult leopard while the other appears to be a cub,” said Subrata Sarkar, a forester who visited the village on Wednesday.

Foresters asked villagers to be alert. After the girl was killed, panicky villagers refused to let their children go out of home to play or study.

“After the leopard was trapped on October 28, we were lightly relieved. But now there are more leopards roaming around. Even foresters have confirmed this. All of us are concerned," said Sukhman Rai, a villager.

"A fair is being held nearby on the occasion of Kali Puja amid this leopard scare. How can we venture out?" he asked.

Senior forest officials said they had stepped up vigil in the area.

“We have put up a cage with bait. Our staff are regularly patrolling in the village. Trained dogs of the department have been engaged to trace the leopards,” said Dwijapratim Sen, the divisional forest officer of the Gorumara wildlife division.