A leopard caused fright among residents in the city of Jalandhar in Punjab as it went on the prowl for several hours attacking people and finally it was tranquilised. 
Four people were hauled to the ground and bitten by the marauding feline who stalked the alleys and backstreets of the Punjab city of 800,000 people for more than six hours before it was caught.
As crowds gathered to watch the cat, it jumped at inhabitants in gardens on Thursday. It was also seen leaping across walls and pushed one man off a ladder as he tried to spread out a net to catch the animal. Those attacked all escaped serious injury.
Most of those hurt had been drawn to the area hoping to see the leopard and then became victims of its desperate effort to escape the city.
Some reports said people had thrown stones at the animal in a bid to scare it away to nearby open fields.
The leopard pulled one man to the ground and gnawed at his arm before leaping over a nearby wall, seeing another man and wrestling him to the ground as well.
Punjab state wildlife officials said the animal had strayed from the hills of nearby Himachal Pradesh state and then reached Jalandhar through fields and forests.
The leopard was ultimately cornered in a house and sedated, media reports said.
Wildlife officials initially tried to capture the animal using nets but later switched to tranquiliser guns.
The crowds attempting to see the leopard also made the operation more complex. Police finally blocked some streets to keep people away from the district.
The sedated animal was put in a cage and taken to Chhatbir zoo. Officials said it would remain under observation for several days before deciding its future.
