Dramatic surveillance footage shows the lion escaping by jumping over a high wall, before it goes on the attack. The lion jumps on a woman's back and knocks her over. Then it is said to have torn two children, five and seven years old, on their arms and faces, according to their father.
All three have been taken to hospital. The injuries are not described as critical.
According to the father and passers-by, the lion's owner is said to have come out onto the street and appeared "amused to see his lion attack".
Three men have been arrested. The suspects fled the scene and took the lion with them but were arrested within twelve hours of the incident, according to the police.
The lion, an eleven-month-old male, has been seized and taken to a wildlife park after the attack which occurred on Thursday evening.
Having exotic animals as pets, especially large cats, has long been a sign of privilege and power in the province of Punjab. After an incident in December 2024, where an adult lion escaped in another area of Lahore, the provincial government adopted new laws regulating the sale, purchase, breeding and ownership of large cats.
