Panic gripped Valparai in Coimbatore district and Kundadam area in Tirupur district, as villagers spotted three leopards in the residential areas a couple of days ago.

According to police, estate workers in Valparai, coming under Anamalai Tiger Reserve spotted three leopards crossing a rivulet and entering the estate on Saturday evening. Members of the anti-poaching squad managed to chase them back to the jungles.

Forest officials, however, claimed that the animals might have entered the human habitat to hunt dogs and other domestic animals, that come across their way. They cautioned the villagers and estate workers not to venture out late in the evening.

In Kundadam near Dharapuram, a goat was found dragged and killed, which the villagers suspect could be due to a leopard .

Forest officials, who visited the area, confirmed the presence of leopard, after finding pug marks. Steps were being taken to prevent the animal entering the villages from the Uppar forest area, they said.