Many people assembled to have a glimpse of the wildcat, leading police to resort to lathi-charge to control the crowd, they said.
The leopard was caught and caged in the evening by forest officials, after which a local journalist Mordwaj Pandey got injured when he put his hand into the cage.
Pandey sustained serious injuries when he was attacked by the leopard and was immediately rushed to hospital, police said.
The Field Director of Palamu Tiger Reserve, S E H Kazmi who had reached the spot to capture the leopard said that it was yet to be ascertained whether the leopard was part of the nearby forest area or Palamu Tiger Reserve.
It had entered into the residential area in search of food, he added.