BENGALURU, May 11 -- An eight-year-old boy from Bengaluru was killed in a suspected leopard attack on Sunday morning while accompanying his family on a pilgrimage trek near Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Karnataka, renewing fears over repeated wildlife attacks along the routes used by devotees.

The boy, identified as Harshith, had travelled with his family to the hill shrine and was walking along the Nagamale route during a padayatra when the animal attacked at around 7 am, officials said.

According to eyewitnesses and forest officials, the family was moving through a forested stretch when the leopard emerged suddenly from nearby bushes, pounced on the child and dragged him into the forest before relatives could react. "The attack happened ...