Delhi: The two monkeys have been sent to the Wildlife SOS centre, said the police
Two men were arrested in Delhi on Friday for allegedly using monkeys to threaten and rob people, the police said. Both in their twenties, Balwan Nath and Vikram Nath, were picked up by the police near the Chirag Delhi bus stand in the heart of the city. The two monkeys have been sent to Wildlife SOS centre. According to the police, peculiar incidents of the men using monkeys to scare people and steal money first came to light on March 2. A third aide, Ajay who also used monkeys to threaten people and rob them is still on the run.
An advocate reported to the police that three men with monkeys surrounded him and forcefully robbed Rs 6,000. The lawyer said that when he was in an autorickshaw, the men made the monkeys sit next to him threatened him and demanded money. When the advocate took out his wallet, the two snatched it from him and escaped.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, "A case has been registered under Indian Penal Code Sections 392 for robbery at Malviya Nagar police station. Relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act have been added against the accused in the case." The senior officer said since it was a "strange case involving monkeys, a dedicated team was constituted to catch the culprits."
The team scanned footage from several CCTVs and conducted raids in and around Delhi based on inputs from informers, the officer said. "On Thursday, our team got a tip-off that two men with monkeys were present at the Chirag Delhi bus stand...we acted on the information and caught them," the officer said. According to the police, the men had caught the monkeys from the forested area around the Tughlakabad Fort area around three months ago.
(Inputs from PTI & ANI)