MUMBAI, March 19 -- Frequent leopard sightings - including an unexpected visit on Tuesday - is holding Raheja Heights, a gated community in Dindoshi, Malad east, hostage. Tuesday's visit, captured in the wee hours on CCTV, resulted in the death of Alfie, the housing society's beloved stray; no humans were harmed. But fear is palpable among the 1,000-odd residents of the housing complex, where daily routines are beginning shift and centre around self-preservation. Tuesday's intrusion was discovered after residents on their morning walk came upon Alfie's carcass, prompting them to check CCTV footage. In their parking lot was a leopard, which had entered the premises at 3:41am. In the next half hour, it had attacked and killed Alfie. Unable to haul it over the compound wall, the leopard abandoned the dog, scaled the wall and disappeared into the night. Raheja Heights is located near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), home to a healthy leopard population increasingly straying from the park as it shrinks due to human encroachment. In recent times, leopards have been frequently spotted in and near apartment complexes on the park's periphery, preying on dogs and other small animals as their own habitat disappears. A senior forest officer said Tuesday's was the third such sighting in the neighbourhood in four days. "We are reluctant to allow our children to step out after sunset and have begun calling them indoors earlier in the evening. Some parents insist on accompanying children when they leave home," said a resident of F-Wing at Raheja Heights. "Senior citizens have resumed their walks but now keep an eye on the clock. They make sure they are not out too early or too late," said Saurabh Kumar, a 33-year-old businessman. Night-time security rounds have ramped up, with guards instructed to carry sticks, whistles to be used intermittently, and torches. The society is installing additional fencing along the wall opposite the podium parking area and undertaking barbed wiring on boundary walls vulnerable to animal entry. Trees and grass will also be trimmed regularly. Raheja Heights is also considering writing to the adjacent society, to get a nullah cleaned adjoining the H-Wing boundary wall, where the incident occurred. It is installing halogen lights behind the electricity power station area and is reviewing CCTV footage across all wings for unusual movement. Following Tuesday's scare, forest officials visited the complex and advised them on precautions. Residents say most of these measures have since been implemented. Local MLA Anil Prabhu has been in touch with forest authorities and has urged state forest minister Ganesh Naik to take measures such as tranquillising and capturing leopards, if required. Meanwhile, the forest department has organised a safety awareness talk on Saturday. But its little solace for humans living in the shadow of a predator forced to change its habits as the urban sprawl closes in....