“Leopard Gatecrashes Wedding in Lucknow, Leads to Chaos and Overnight Rescue”

A wedding in Lucknow’s Budheshwar area turned into a nightmare on Wednesday night when an uninvited guest—a leopard—strayed into the banquet hall, sparking panic among the guests. The unexpected intrusion sent hundreds of attendees fleeing the premises, with one person suffering serious injuries after jumping off the roof in panic.

The unusual incident, which occurred at the MM Lawn hall, quickly went viral after videos of the chaotic scene spread on social media. The footage shows guests scrambling out into the streets in fear, as the leopard wandered into the wedding venue.

Lucknow police and forest department officials swiftly arrived at the scene and evacuated the hall. A rescue operation commenced shortly after, with officers entering a locked area inside the hall. In one video, a group of officers is seen entering, only to be caught off guard by the leopard, which attempted to grab a rifle from one of the officers before fleeing upstairs.

The leopard was finally captured at around 4 am on Thursday after more than four hours of efforts. In a separate video, the big cat is seen being loaded into a cage.

Lucknow Divisional Forest Officer Sitanshu Pandey explained that the leopard likely came from the dense forests surrounding Malihabad, with possible connections to nearby reserves. Officials had urged local residents to stay calm and avoid going out alone during the operation.

Read also:

• Bengaluru’s Leopard Crisis: Rescue Centre Overwhelmed by Growing Numbers
• Leopard and biker crash in Udaipur’s residential area