The fully-grown leopard set upon the group when it walked into a house in a busy neighbourhood of Guwahati, in north-east India.

Dramatic photos show the leopard lashing out at a man, identifi ed by Indian media as a cook named Hari, whose scalp is severely cut as he tries to fend off the animal.

One man shut the leopard inside the house before forest officials came to sedate it, Britain's Daily Mail reported. Hari was taken to hospital for injuries to his head and face, while the leopard was taken to a zoo for observation.

"We believe the cat strayed into the area from a nearby hillock , maybe in search of food," a forest department official said.

Thousands of people gathered in the streets to catch a glimpse of the leopard, which only made the animal more anxious, Yahoo News India reported.

Animal workers took 45 minutes and three shots to tranquillise the animal.

"Our people need to be sensitised," said Surajit Dutta, director of the Kaziranga National Park.

"You traumatise an animal like this and it will attack. You let it pass, while informing us, and it normally will. We can then get the situation under control as our people are trained to do this."