Suresh Rathwa says the big cat, which had its jaws clamped around his daughter’s neck, lunged in a bid to escape but was stranded due to barbed wire fencing. (Photo generated using AI)

Suresh Rathwa barely had a few seconds to respond when he heard his four-year-old’s screams tear through the silence of a hamlet in Chhota Udepur on Wednesday evening. He heard a thud against a metal sheet when his instincts kicked in, and Suresh found himself chasing a leopard that had grabbed his daughter by her neck.

Moments ago, he was trying to warn Dhruvisha against venturing into the dark, and to stay close to him.…