Leopard kills, decapitates 3-year-old in India

New Delhi: The headless body of a three-year-old boy snatched from his home by a leopard in India was handed over to his parents on Tuesday, wildlife officials said.

Wasim Akram was in the kitchen with his mother when the animal snuck inside, pounced on the child and took him deep into the woods, officials said.

It was the third such killing blamed on the leopard in the last two months, including an eight-year-old boy mauled to death in the area on December 7.

In the meantime a team of wildlife officials equipped with tranquiliser guns have been scouring the area to spot the animal.

"The leopard was spotted this morning but we could not trap it," regional wildlife warden Tahir Ahmad Shawl told AFP.

Wildlife authorities have also issued advice for people in the area to stay safe from animal attacks.