A teenage girl was mauled to death by a leopard in a remote village of Baitadi district on Wednesday.

Asha Koli, 14, daughter of Muniram Koli of Pancheswor-6 was attacked by the wild cat when she was cutting grass in the forest.

Villagers later found the badly mutilated body of Asha which was eaten below the neck in the forest yesterday.

Villagers claim Asha is the fourth girl to be killed in leopard attack in Pancheshwor village. Three girls and a 35-year-old pregnant woman had been killed by leopard over the past two months and villagers believe the same animal was responsible for all the attack.

Meanwhile. District Forest Office (DFO) of Baitadi has said the government will provide Rs 150,000 as relief to the family of the victim.

Reports quoted locals as saying that the leopard has continuously been terrorizing the people of the village and many are scared to walk alone.

Although the villagers are seeking permission to kill the man-eater, the DFO has said the law forbids killing wild animals and is instead desperately trying to capture the leopard. nepalnews.com