Leopard kills man in India, scalps another

January 9, 2012 9:04 AM

Leopard kills man in India, scalps another

In this photo taken Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, a full-grown wild leopard attacks a man after wandering into a residential neighborhood in Gauhati, India. The leopard ventured into a crowded area, killing one person and injuring four people before it was captured and caged, local reports said. (AP Photo/Manas Paran, The Sunday Indian)

(AP) 

GAUHATI, India — A leopard that wandered into a city in eastern India went on a rampage, killing one man, swiping off part of another man's scalp and injuring three other people before authorities tranquilized it.

Neighbors in Gauhati say the leopard attacked a 50-year-old lawyer as he talked on his cell phone Saturday evening outside his house.

He was rushed to a hospital where he died Sunday.

A man walks away bloodied after being attacked by a wild full-grown leopard in a residential neighborhood in Gauhati, India, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012.

(Credit: The Sunday Indian,AP Photo/Manas Paran)

Four other people were injured, including a man who had part of his scalp torn off in a dramatic attack captured by a local newspaper photographer.

Gauhati wildlife official Utpal Bora says authorities plan to release the animal at a wildlife park 120 miles west of the city.

Conservationists say deforestation is increasingly pushing leopards into populated areas.