An 80-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard in Chhattisgarh's Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district, a forest official said on Monday.

The incident took place at Koilari Kudra village under Kunwarpur forest range on Sunday, he said. Phooljhariya, a resident of Gidhori Patelpara village, had ventured into the forest to graze cattle when a leopard attacked her, the official said.

As the woman did not return home till late evening, her family members went into the forest looking for her and found her mutilated body, he said. Forest officials rushed to the spot and sent the body for autopsy, he added. An immediate relief of Rs 25,000 was given to the victim's kin, while the remaining Rs 5.75 lakh will be disbursed after completing requisite formalities, the official said.

(With PTI inputs)