Jaipur, Nov. 28 -- A leopard was spotted on CCTV footage in Jaipur on Thursday morning, the third such instance this week, creating panic among locals and pushing the forest department for possible solutions. According to the locals, a leopard was first spotted on CCTV cameras at about 6 a.m. crossing a road in Kalyan Colon near Sikar House in Shastri Nagar and even walking across the roof of a house. While nothing unusual was visible at the time, CCTV review later confirmed that the leopard had passed through the neighbourhood, appearing calm and non- threatened in the visuals. "People are afraid to step out of their homes. We urge the forest department to capture the leopard at the earliest and relocate it to the forest so that residents can live in peace," said local resident Suresh Meena. The forest department launched a search operation in an open plot in Sikar House C Block after analysing multiple CCTV clips, officials. However, it failed to find the elusive big cat. "The leopard may have returned to the forest behind Papad Ke Hanuman Temple or the broader Nahargarh forest region that borders the city," said a forest official. According to forest department data, the region is home to around 30 to 35 leopards. Forest officials said today was the third confirmed sighting of the leopard this week in Jaipur. On Wednesday (November 26), the animal was seen roaming in Vidyadhar Nagar and Panipetch, in the northeastern part of the city. On November 20, a leopard was seen in the high security VVIP zone of Civil Lines where the chief minister and other ministers stay. The leopard had also entered the home of a minister also, said officials. The leopard was later caught and released in Tonk, they added. Rajasthan chief wildlife warden Arun Prasad said, "We are reviewing the situation, and required steps will be taken accordingly." A senior official familiar with the matter said the shrinking prey base within forest areas is a major concern. "The frequent venturing of leopards into city lanes indicates something is not right inside their habitat. Food and water availability must be improved to hold them inside the forest. Considering the growing population, the current prey supply is inadequate," the official said. He added that Rajasthan had sought chital (spotted deer) from Madhya Pradesh to boost prey numbers, but the request was turned down. As a long-term measure, the state is now developing prey-base sites at 10 locations but it will take three to four years to improve prey base, he said. The Rajasthan forest department has initiated the state's first-ever comprehensive leopard census to scientifically map populations and formulate long-term conservation and conflict-mitigation strategies....