‘Tourists’ queue up, leopard makes back-door exit

GURUGRAM: As news of the leopard trapped inside Maruti's Manesar plant spread, the plant virtually turned into a tourist spot on Friday, with people queuing up outside the main gate in hope that they could catch a glimpse of the big cat.

They ultimately returned disappointed as wildlife officials dodged the crowd and exited the plant along with the six-and-a-half-year-old leopard through gate number 2 (the same gate near which the big cat was first spotted by guard Dharambir on Thursday morning).

When TOI spoke to some of the people gathered outside the plant, they seemed very excited and claimed they were waiting since early morning to catch a glimpse of the big cat.

Gobind Singh (23), a student pursuing graduation and a resident of Bans Gaon, said, "My friends showed me some pictures of the leopard inside the engine plant yesterday. As I wanted to see it with my own eyes, I reached here early in the morning and waited the whole day. In the evening, the workers told us the authorities had taken the big cat out through the other gate."

Akash Tanwar, who came all the way from Mahendragarh to see the leopard, also reached the plant early on Friday after spending the night at a relative's place in Gurgaon. "I was very excited to see the animal. I wanted to experience the adrenaline rush on seeing a big cat from close proximity."