Devotees on board an APSRTC bus were excited when they apparently spotted a leopard on the Tirumala ghat road.
The incident took place on Tuesday evening at the 56th curve on the first ghat road leading to Tirupati, about half a kilometre from the town.
Adding to the anxiety of the passengers, the big cat stayed put in the middle of the road leading to a mild interruption in the movement of traffic.
On receiving the information, the forest officials rushed to the spot. But by then, the leopard had left the spot.
As the point of sighting of the big cat is close to the final stretch of the footpath route, the personnel burst fire crackers to scare away the animal.
The leopard has been sighted for more than half-a-dozen times during the past one month. It had also made its appearance felt along the footpath on a couple of occasions. The wildlife authorities, who have also set up more than three traps in the peripheral areas, suspect three leopards to be on the prowl.
