A leopard sparked off terror after it was spotted hiding inside a bush at a courtyard in India.

The animal was first seen roaming on the streets of Nashik in south-western India on the night of February 17.

A resident of Savarkar Nagar area of the city heard a growling sound coming from a bush at a nearby bungalow and alerted police and forest departments yesterday (February 18).

Officials rushed to the spot and managed to trap the animal with nylon after tranquilising it.

A forest department said the rescue effort lasted eight hours and one of his colleagues was injured in the process.

He said the leopard would be released in the wild after a medical check-up.

Nashik has dense forests nearby, home to several wild animals.