An unexpected visitor dropped in at Hema Malini's Dindoshi bungalow on Friday morning. But neither Hema Malini nor any of her family members was present there.
“A leopard strayed into the premises of Hema Malini's bunglow today [Friday] morning around 8 a.m. The watchman immediately informed the police, who alerted Forest Department officials.
A team of Police and Forest Department officials reached the spot, but it seems the leopard had run away from the area by then,” Sudhir Padwale, Range Forest Officer, Thane Division, told The Hindu .
The police said they received a call around 8 a.m., but when they reached there, the leopard had run away. The bunglow was locked.
Sunil Limaye, Conservator of Forests and Director of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), said: “The watchman saw the leopard on the lawns… in the morning. He raised an alarm and called some other watchmen. They informed the police, but the leopard ran away immediately. A search of the premises for more than four hours did not yield any result.”
However, Forest Department officials did not find any pugmark on the premises. “If it had been the rainy season, we would have spotted pugmarks. But the lawn was dry, so we could not spot any. The residents there are used to spotting the big cat. There can be no mistake about identifying the animal,” Mr. Limaye said.
“Though the leopard was not found, there is no need to panic. The bunglow is very close to the Arey Colony jungle. The leopard must have escaped there,” Mr. Limaye said, adding that it might have strayed into the area while searching for food.
