MUMBAI, May 10 -- Panic has gripped residents of Raheja Heights, a housing society in Dindoshi, in Malad east, after a leopard was sighted in the complex for the third time in seven weeks on Friday. The animal was spotted by the watchman at around 2am and was chased away by him. A leopard was first spotted inside Raheja Heights on March 17, when CCTV footage captured the animal entering the parking lot and killing a stray dog. A second sighting inside the complex was reported on April 8 at 3am, when the big cat was captured on CCTV trying to take away another dog. Residents are at their wits' end, wondering how to tackle this recurring nightmare, given that the safety of the 1,000-odd residents of the housing complex is at stake. "There is no one responding to our pleas," said Vijay Borra, 40, a resident. Raheja Heights is situated not far from the periphery of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Mumbai's only green lung and home to a healthy leopard population. Over the years, housing complexes and other developments have been built along the park's boundary, shrinking the green cover and forcing leopards to stray outside, in search of prey. Forest officials said they cannot help Raheja Heights as the housing society is situated on private property and is outside their jurisdiction. They said they had recommended certain preventive measures but compliance among residents is inconsistent. "Residents complain they cannot live like they are in a jail, but such negligence increases the risk," a forest official said. Could a plan implemented after the previous sighting have, in fact, backfired? A month ago, the forest department did step in and place a cage with live bait in it, to lure and trap the big cat. Accordingly, a goat was placed in a cage, which was in turn placed in a larger cage, as bait. Later, the goat was replaced with a chicken. The bait is being tended to by forest officials. After Saturday's sighting, forest officials said the leopard could be returning repeatedly due to the presence of food in the area. While they were pointing to dogs and other prey in the housing complex, the question is: is the live bait next door playing a role in luring leopards to this neighbourhood? Without venturing a solution, forest officials said blocking a single entry point is not the answer. "A leopard does not enter through a gate and exit through it. It moves wherever it finds an opening," an official said. Anil Nair, chairperson of the apex committee at the housing complex, said, "We have blocked entry and exit points from where the leopard was earlier spotted and installed cameras to monitor its movement and access routes."...