Moment a brave boy, 12, outsmarts a leopard in VERY close encounter and traps the animal

This is the shocking moment a brave, young boy escaped what could have been a deadly disaster thanks to his quick thinking.

Mohit Ahire, 12, from Maharashtra, India, was casually scrolling through his phone when a predator stalked into the room.

The child was relaxing inside an office in the Sai Celebration wedding hall in the Nashik district on Tuesday morning before being startled by the big cat.

An impressive video of the moment Mohit made his clever escape has been circulating on social media, and viewers are commending him for his remarkable display of courage.

Mohit Ahire was playing on his mobile phone in the Nashik district of Maharashtra, India, on Tuesday, when a leopard walked into the room he was in

The big cat appeared to ignore him as it stalked past towards the corner of the wedding hall office

In the footage, the boy can be seen engrossed in his phone while sitting on a seat facing the door.

But in a shocking turn of events, a huge leopard walks into the room and seems to not notice stunned Mohit as it stalks past.

After he spots the wild animal, Mohit quietly climbs off his seat while unplugging his phone.

His eyes fixed on the predator, he dashes to the door once the leopard is in the corner of the room and swiflty pulls it shut.

Even under the pressure, Mohit remembered to bring his phone with him when he made his escape.

Speaking to Times of India, Mohit said: 'The leopard was so close. There was hardly any space between the leopard and me. 

'I was scared, but I quietly got off the bench and sneaked out of the office. I closed the door behind me', he added.

The video goes on to show the spotted cat laying on the office floor behind a chair before being carried out by forest department officials.

Local reports claim the leopard was tranquilised and relocated into back to its natural habitat unharmed.

The owner of the wedding hall, Anil Pawar, was also left stunned at Mohit's quick thinking and applauded him for staying calm.

Footage showed the leopard fully entering the small room while the boy watched on in horror and planned his escape

The brave young boy jumped to his feet and swiftly exited the room, displaying his courage as he locked the leopard in the office until authorities arrived

'The leopard headed straight into the inner cabin without noticing the boy,' he told Times of India.

'When the child saw the animal walk past barely a foot away from him - he stayed calm,' he added.

According to the business owner, the five-year-old male leopard had been spotted earlier in the day and police and forest officials had been searching for it.

Mohit reportedly told his father, who works at a security guard at the wedding hall, that he had locked the leopard in his office which sparked him to make a frantic call to the authorities.