Bengaluru | The forest officials shot dead the elusive leopard that scared Bengaluru residents for the past five days.

After three days of intense search operations, the forest department officials tracked the wild cat in the city's outskirts near Kudlu Gate in Bengaluru South. They set a cage and tried to trap the leopard and when their efforts failed, shots were fired, officials said.

It was after the efforts by veterinarians to tranquilise the leopard failed that officials opened fire, officials confirmed.

Chief Conservator of Forest S S Lingaraja told reporters, "The leopard had attacked the veterinary doctor Kiran and one more staff member. So, they were grievously injured. So, it jumped to attack one more staff. So, he shot it in self defense. We tried to revive it in Bannerghatta but it died," he added.

Lingaraja said the Chief Wildlife Warden had given permission to shoot it when it started attacking people grievously.