Groom abandoned alone as leopard crashes wedding

A leopard crashed a wedding in Lucknow, India, causing panic and chaos at the marriage ceremony taking place on Thursday night. 

When guests started screaming outside, bride Jyoti Kumari quickly locked herself in a bridal restroom at the MM Marriage Lawn in the Para area. 

"The makeup artist and I froze when we heard the commotion outside. Then came a deep growl. My hands started shaking, and I immediately bolted the door," Jyoti told Indian media. 

Meanwhile, groom Akshay Shrivastav was filming wedding videos on the terrace when his entourage heard growling and screams from the lawn below. 

"I was standing there, waiting for my next shot, when I saw people running in all directions. The next moment, my team was gone, and I was stranded," Akshay recalled. His friends and videographers abandoned him as they ran for cover. He was left alone on the terrace, waiting for rescue. 

Both the bride and groom were rescued by police officials after a few hours. 

Officials of the Forest Department and Police Department reached the venue and began a five hour long search to locate the leopard. 

Videos going viral on social media show the leopard grabbing a rifle off a policeman at one point. The police officer was left with a bloody hand. 

The animal was finally found at 3:30 am in one of the rooms on the first floor of the building. 

Two cameramen were also injured as they ran down stairs after the animal caused guests to run in panic. 

Wedding festivities resumed the next day.