25-year-old man feared taken away by wild animal in Rajouri, search operation underway

Rajouri, Nov 27: A 25-year-old man is suspected to have been taken away by a wild animal, possibly a leopard, from near his residence in the Copra Palangarh area of Rajouri district late Thursday night, officials said.

They told news agency KNC that the man, identified as Qasim, son of Abdul Rasheed Bajjar, was reportedly close to his house when he was suddenly dragged away by the animal, causing panic in the locality.

Soon after the incident, teams of the Wildlife Protection Department, police and local residents launched a joint search operation to trace the missing man. However, no whereabouts of Qasim have been found so far despite extensive searches, they added.

The operation is continuing and further details are awaited.