The reported sighting of a cheetah roaming near Naganur close to Mudalgi in Belgaum district on Tuesday has been confirmed as a hoax. Concerns were raised following widespread circulation of a video on social media depicting a cheetah in the fields. However, officials investigating the matter discovered that the video had been manipulated and falsely claimed to be from the village.
In response to the viral video, Education Department official Ajit Mannikeri advised schools in the area to temporarily close for the safety of children. Forest officials promptly responded to the situation, with Sanju Savasuddi reassuring villagers that the video actually showed a jungle cat that had been digitally altered.
