India, Nov. 5 -- A six-year-old male leopard, responsible for three fatal attacks in Pimparkhed and nearby villages of Pune district, was shot dead late Tuesday night after an intense operation by the forest department.

The animal was killed around 10.30pm following a failed tranquillising attempt made it charge at the rescue team, an officer said on Wednesday. The operation was carried out with special permission from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Maharashtra.

Over the past 20 days, the villages of Mauje Pimparkhed and surrounding areas had witnessed a string of fatal leopard attacks - killing five-year-old Shivanya Shailesh Bombe on October 12, 82-year-old Bhagubai Rangnath Jadhav on October 22, and 13-year-ol...