A leopard that strayed into a school in Bangalore, India, injured six people before Indian forest officials captured it following a day-long drama.

The big cat was suspected to have entered Vibgyor International School in Marathahalli area at about 4am on Sunday (Feb 7).

A security guard spotted the animal and called the police.

CCTV footage showed it skulking in the corridors and entering the kitchen of the school.

No students were at the school as it was a Sunday.

It was a full-grown male leopard, chief conservator Ravi Ralph told The Hindu.

The leopard probably came from a forest not far from the school, BBC quoted Mr Ravi as saying.

It slipped out of the school to a nearby farm around noon, but returned later and hid in a toilet, The New Indian Express reported.

In the evening, the leopard was finally shot with tranquiliser darts, but it leapt out of the toilet window towards the swimming pool.

"Although it was injected with tranquilisers it could be captured only around 20.15 local time when the medication took full effect," senior police official S Boralingaiah told the BBC.

During the effort to control and tranquilise him conservation scientist Sanjay Gubbi and forest department employee Benny Maurius were injured.

Dramatic footage showed the leopard mauling several other men around the school's swimming pool.

The leopard is now at Bannerghatta National Park and will be relocated, The New Indian Express said.

Big cats have been spotted in the area in recent years as development of the city encroached on their habitats.