Surat: Two leopards found dead on NH-48, officials suspect hit-and-run

After official procedures, the carcasses were cremated by the officials with respect, said forest officials.

The carcasses were noticed by a passer-by who intimated the forest department.

Two leopards, aged between four and five years, were found dead on the NH-48 in the outskirts of Surat city at Kamrej Thursday morning. The forest officials suspect that the big cats were run over by a speeding vehicle while they were crossing the main road.

The carcasses were noticed by a passer-by who intimated the forest department. A large number of people soon gathered at the spot to click pictures and the police had to reach to disperse the crowd.

Range Forest Officer (RFO) Pankaj Chaudhary and his team reached the spot and took the carcasses to the forest department’s veterinary hospital where the doctors carried out a post-mortem and found they died due to severe head injuries.

After official procedures, the carcasses were cremated by the officials with respect.

Chaudhary said, “We have prepared a first offence report and have started a probe. We are also trying to find out whether anybody has sighted any leopard in the last couple of days. We suspect both the leopards were playing and while crossing the roads, they were run over by a speeding vehicle. The incident, which took place near Raj Hotel, may have taken place early in the morning. We will check the CCTV footage of the hotel.”

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