Sargur: A farmer suffered serious injuries on his leg, when a leopard attacked him when he went to pluck cotton at his field in Devalapura village here this morning.

The injured farmer has been identified as 55-year-old Giriaiah, a resident of Devalapura.

When Giriaiah was plucking cotton, the leopard, which was hiding nearby, pounced on him and caught his right leg injuring the heel and calf muscle severely.

When the leopard had caught his leg, Giriaiah began to roll and picked up a large stone and hit the leopard, resulting in the wild cat leaving him and fled from the spot.

Soon, villagers who heard Giriaiah’s screams rushed to the spot and shifted him to Swami Vivekananda Hospital in Sargur beside informing the Forest Department officials.

The Forest officials, who rushed to the spot, have launched a hunt to nab the elusive leopard.