Pune: A young man from Kolhe Mala, Narayangaon, has been penalized for making a false report to the emergency police helpline about a leopard being trapped in a cage, which unnecessarily mobilized both police and forest department officials.

The false alarm also caused concern for local residents, especially regarding the safety of children.

The forest department had previously set up a cage with a chicken as bait near the Indian Gas Agencies field in Kolhe Mala after spotting a leopard in the area.

On Tuesday (October 22) evening, around 5 p.m., Sunil Pal, a local laundry business owner, called the emergency police helpline (112), claiming that the leopard had been trapped in the cage. He also warned of a large crowd gathering and mentioned that children’s lives were at risk.

Taking the call seriously, the police control room quickly passed the information to the Narayangaon police station. Constable Satyam Kelkar informed police patil and disaster response volunteer Sushant Bhujbal, who immediately mobilized a response team.

Accompanied by forest ranger Dnyaneshwar Pawar and members of the rescue team, police officers rushed to the location to secure the area.

However, after inspecting the site, officials found that the leopard had not been caught. When questioned, Sunil Pal admitted that he had made the call based on information given by some local children, though he was unable to provide details about who they were.

Pal later apologized to both the police and forest department officials for the inconvenience caused.

There has been growing concern among residents of Junnar taluka due to frequent leopard sightings, and both the local community and the forest department are under considerable pressure.

Pal’s false report further heightened this tension and caused unnecessary stress for the involved government departments. To avoid such incidents in the future, Narayangaon police have issued a warning and taken preventive action against Pal.