DULEGAUDA, TANAHU, Dec 31: A leopard has killed a 22-month-old baby boy at Ratamata village of Shuklagandadi Rural Municipality–22. Raju Nepal's toddler son Rabin was playing at the patio of his house when he came under the leopard's brutal attack on Sunday. His dead body was found one kilometer away, near a jungle on Monday.

"He was at home, at the patio till 6 pm. The leopard dragged him to a nearby jungle, where he was found dead," said Inspector Jagadish Regmi, chief of Belchautara Area Police Office. 

The police had launched a search operation after the family reported of his missing. Locals had also come together to help the police. The boy was found lying badly injured inside Tinpokhari Community Forest, which is about one kilometer away from the victim's house. 

The dead body has been sent to Damauli Hospital for a post-mortem. The family and the neighborhood is in a very deep state of shock. 

The incident happened when the boy's mother went to the kitchen for some work leaving the boy outside. When the boy was seen to be nowhere, family members and neighbors were panicked and informed the police. The family originally from Dahachowk of Gulmi district had been living here at Hira Bhujel's house on rent. The house is not connected to electricity and is surrounded by bushes. 

Division Forest Office, Tanahu has provided Rs 50,000 as instant relief to the bereaved family. According to Baburam Upreti, acting chief of the forest division, the family will get Rs 1 million in total. "The rest of the amount will be handed over after the due process is followed," he said. 

 
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