A leopard created panic in Maharashtra's Thane district by attacking seven people on the morning of December 19, 2025. The attack happened in Parijat housing society and nearby Talav Road in Bhayandar East. Some residents and passersby were wounded and taken to nearby hospitals. Among the injured, a 21-year-old woman was seriously hurt and shifted to a government hospital. State Minister Pratap Sardaik said, "The Forest Department needs to be vigilant and shift to reach the spot. The CCTV control room should be installed in forest department. They should be the first to react in such situations." Around 8 a.m., the Forest Department received a call about the leopard sighting. Rescue teams from the Forest Department, Navghar police, Bhayandar fire brigade, and a leopard rescue team from Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) rushed to the area. The rescue operation lasted seven hours. Pawan Sharma, honorary wildlife warden with RAWW, described how the leopard got scared and entered a flat. After three attempts, it was finally tranquilized. The leopard is now in medical observation at the SGNP rescue center. This attack in Bhayandar is one of several recent leopard incidents in Maharashtra's urban and nearby rural areas, previously reported around Pune. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis mentioned that Pune and Ahilyanagar districts alone have 1,300 leopards. Minister Sarnaik warned, "Today it came here, tomorrow it can come to Mumbai." Maharashtra's government has sent a proposal to the central government to sterilize leopards and classify them as a Schedule II animal. Forest Minister Ganesh Naik suggested releasing goats worth ₹1 crore into forest areas.