A stray leopard, spotted near a downtown shopping mall along Sevoke Road, created panic in North Bengal's Siliguri town, forest officials said.
The incident was reported late yesterday evening and efforts to catch the animal even today bore no fruit.
As people raised an alarm, forest officials reached the spot yesterday with net and tranquilizers, but failed to nab the frightened animal which took shelter on a tin roof of a godown located opposite the shopping mall and remained perched there overnight.
At the break of dawn today, the leopard climbed down an adjacent tree and escaped.
Umarani, Divisional Forest Officer of Baikunthapur said a net has been cast wide in the area to ensure safety of residents. Announcements over public address systems are also being made to ward off any possible attacks from the leopard.
"We are trying to get hold of the leopard," the DFO said.
Recently, leopards ran amok at a tea estate in Bagdogra near here. A leopard also entered a house in Siliguri's Hakimpara locality last month.
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