Leopard kills man, scalps another in Indian city

GAUHATI, India - The Associated Press

In this photo taken Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, a wild full grown leopard attacks a man after wandering into a residential neighborhood in Gauhati, in the northern state of Assam, India. AP Photos

A leopard that wandered into a city in eastern India went on a rampage, killing one man, swiping off part of another man's scalp and injuring three other people before authorities tranquilized the animal.

Neighbors in Gauhati said the big cat attacked a 50-year-old lawyer as he talked on his cell hone Sunday evening outside his house. He was rushed to hospital where he died.

Four other people were injured, including a man who had part of his scalp torn off by the animal in a dramatic episode captured by a local newspaper photographer.

Gauhati wildlife official Utpal Bora says authorities plan to release the animal at a wildlife park about 120 miles (200 kilometers) west of the city.

Conservationists say deforestation has increasingly pushed leopards into populated areas.