Gariaband, Aug. 1 -- A leopard was captured by the forest department in a residential village area in Chhattisgarh on Friday.

Speaking to ANI, the Gariaband District Forest Officer (DFO) Shashinganandan S stated that the animal had been venturing into the village, which is surrounded by dense forest, for over a month.

"The leopard had been repeatedly entering homes, causing fear among the residents. As the village also has a school, there were serious concerns for the safety of children, leading to strong demands from the public for the animal's capture," the DFO told ANI.

The official further informed that a coordinated operation was launched to neutralise the threat.

"The Forest Department deployed tracking teams, monitored its move...