Leopard pays a visit to Hema Malini's bungalow

May 27, 2011 IANS

Mumbai, May 27 (IANS) Hema Malini had a strange fan early Friday when a leopard strayed into her bungalow in Dindoshi area of northwest Mumbai, creating panic among the local residents, an official said.

The leopard, believed to have come from the adjoining Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) area, was spotted by a security guard in the premises early Friday.

The Bollywood actor was not at home at the time of the incident.

The locals immediately alerted the SGNP authorities who sent a team equipped with tranquilisers and a cage to trap the large wild cat, the official said.

"We have dispatched a team of forest officials to the site and they are making arrangements to catch the leopard. We hope to capture it soon," S. A. Thorat, SGNP Chief Conservator of Forests told IANS.

The SGNP, spread over around 100 square kms in northwest Mumbai, has over five dozen leopards and many other wild animals living in its thick forests.

Leopards often stray into the sprawling housing complexes, the Film City, the Aarey Milk Colony, Dahisar, Borivli, Kandivli, Malad, Goregaon and other western suburbs and Mulund and Bhandup on the eastern side.

There have been many instances of leopards getting killed while chasing prey by speeding vehicles on the Western Express and Eastern Express highways.