Jaipur:A three-year-old boy was killed after a leopard attacked him in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district, forest officials said Friday.

Deputy Conservator of Forests of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve Manas Singh said the child, Dilkhush Bairwa, was playing in the courtyard of his house on Thursday when the leopard dragged him towards the forest.

Following the incident, the child’s family members and villagers launched a search operation. A forest department team also joined the search after being alerted, the official said. The child was eventually found in an injured condition on a hill, Singh said. He was rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the official said.

The incident triggered anger among villagers, who later reached the Phalodi range office and staged a protest.

During the protest, a motorcycle kept at the range office was set on fire, officials said.