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How ‘drunk’ man got trapped in cage meant for a leopard in UP’s Bahraich

UP leopard cage incident, Bahraich man trapped cage: The incident came to light when the man shouted for help and called his friends and relatives from his cellphone from the cage.

2 min readLucknowUpdated: Nov 29, 2025 05:12 PM IST

UP leopard cage incident: Screengrab from a video shows the man trapped in the cage. (Express Photo)

Bahraich man trapped cage: A 28-year-old man on Thursday found himself trapped in a metal cage installed by the Forest Department to capture a leopard suspected of killing a woman in the Kaiserganj area of Bahraich district, officials said.

The incident came to light when the man, identified as Pradeep Sharma, shouted for help and called his friends and relatives from his cellphone from the cage.

Alerted by the villagers, forest officials rushed to the spot and unlocked the trap to release the man suspected to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. Officials said no FIR was filed in the matter.

He was trapped inside for two hours, along with the bait — a goat.

Pradeep was let off with a warning for endangering himself and interfering with a wildlife-tracking operation, they added.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Bahraich, Ram Singh Yadav, said the man’s intentions remain unclear, but the incident is being taken seriously as he could have suffered serious injuries or even risked his life by entering the trap.

Yadav said the cage was installed to capture the leopard allegedly responsible for killing a woman on November 26.

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The cage is equipped with an automatic door that shuts upon sensing movement.

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