Balrampur (UP), Nov 25 (PTI) A five-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard in a village under Sohelwa forest area of this district, a forest department official said on Saturday.

Divisional Forest Officer Manoj Kumar said the boy, Ritesh, had gone to the edge of the forest with his grandfather when a leopard hiding in the bushes caught him in its jaws and took him away. By the time the villagers came to the spot after hearing the child's scream, the leopard had disappeared into the forest.

The locals later found the mutilated body of the minor at some distance from the incident. The officer said the post-mortem of the body is being conducted.

District Magistrate Arvind Singh said cages have been installed to catch the leopard. He said compensation will be provided to the victim's family after the post-mortem report. PTI COR CDN CK