LAKHIMPUR KHERI, April 27 -- A 32-year-old woman was attacked and mauled to death by a leopard while she was sleeping on a cot outside her hutment, in Sahijana village under the Singahi police jurisdiction, according to officials. The area falls under the North Nighasan forest range of the Dudhwa buffer zone. The deceased has been identified as Sandhya Devi, wife of Mata Prasad. According to locals, despite attempts to drive the animal away, the leopard grabbed the woman by her neck and dragged her into nearby fields. By the time villagers managed to chase it off about half an hour later, the animal had already killed her and partially consumed her neck. The killing triggered strong resentment among local residents, who launched a protest demanding immediate capture of the leopard. Nighasan sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Rajeev Nigam, DSP Shivam Kumar, along with other police and forest officials, rushed to the spot to pacify the grieving and angry villagers. Dudhwa buffer zone deputy director Kirti Chaudhary confirmed the fatality in the leopard attack and expressed grief over the tragic incident. She said that forest teams have been deployed to monitor the animal's movements and will capture it after obtaining the necessary permissions from the authorities. She added that compensation would be provided to the bereaved family and urged residents to remain on high alert due to the movement of big cats in the area. She also advised people not to sleep in the open or work alone in fields, especially during evening and night hours. Manoj Tiwari, SDO of the Nighasan forest sub-division, said that the errant big cat's location would be traced through patrolling and drone surveillance, along with placing cages to capture the animal.htc...