Leopard runs wild in hours-long rampage through Indian court house, injuring nine including lawyers

Video shows people taking refuge inside room in court as leopard growls right outside iron gate

The leopard was captured after being shot by tranquiliser guns and only taken in control by the wildlife officials (AFP via Getty Images)

At least nine people were injured after an adult leopard ran amok in a district court near New Delhi before the wild cat was captured by forest department officials in a dramatic four-hour-long rescue operation.

The male leopard, believed to be around seven or eight years of age, is suspected to have entered the Ghaziabad district court building on Tuesday but was spotted venturing into the busy corridors only on Wednesday, reported Indian daily Hindustan Times.

Three brothers who were attacked by the animal said that they were waiting on the second floor when they spotted the leopard right in front of them.

“We were stunned. It attacked the three of us and ran downstairs,” litigant Tanveer Ahmad, who suffered injuries, said.

The leopard was captured after being shot with tranquiliser guns and only taken under control by wildlife officials at around 8.15pm, they said.

The animal also sustained several injuries which the forest department veterinarians are treating with antibiotics and multivitamins, wildlife officials said.

According to officials, the leopard will be released into an appropriate habitat away from human settlements at a later time.

The Ghaziabad court’s administrative officer said that the leopard attacked people on different floors of the building, after which it went outside the court of the district judge and lunged at a window, breaking the glass pane.

Several people injured in the attack said they heard a few monkeys make noise and attack people right before the leopard appeared.

All those injured in the attack have been admitted to the hospital and are stable, the report added.

Videos of the incident circulating on social media showed dozens of people taking refuge inside a room in the court premises as the leopard growled right outside the iron gate.

Another video showed a lawyer injured and bleeding profusely from below his neck after getting attacked, while other lawyers present around him rushed him to get medical aid.

Four litigants, a police constable, and a shoe polish vendor were also attacked by the leopard, reported Hindustan Times.