Leopard attack claims life of six-year-old girl on Tirumala’s Alipiri footpath

In a tragic incident on Friday night, a leopard claimed the life of a six-year-old girl, Lakshitha, as she was traversing the Alipiri footpath towards Tirumala with her family. According to sources, she disappeared between 7:30 PM and 8 PM, leading her distraught parents, Dinesh and Sasikala from Nellore district’s Kovvur mandal, on a frantic search.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) vigilance, security personnel, local police, and forest department staff promptly initiated a search operation upon being alerted. It was pedestrians who tragically found Lakshitha’s remains near Narasimha Swamy temple by 4 am the following morning.

Relaying the sequence of events, a security official commented, “Lakshitha was walking a bit ahead of her family when she disappeared. The eventual discovery of her body near the temple and the nature of her injuries led the forest staff to believe a leopard was involved.” This assessment was corroborated by CCTV footage from the Alipiri entry point, which showed Lakshitha walking ahead of her family members.

This harrowing episode has reignited concerns regarding the safety of the Alipiri footpath, which cuts through dense forests. Notably, a similar leopard attack took place on the footpath’s 7th mile in June, where a three-year-old boy was fortunate enough to survive.