Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Gulf Today Report

A gang of robbers in India's national capital had monkeys as their unusual but very useful partners in crime. They used to  rob unsuspecting people with the help of their trained monkeys.

However, their good luck ended when one of their victims complained to police that three men carrying monkeys surrounded and robbed him of Rs6,000 (Dhs300 approximately).

Police suspected the gang were behind other similar thefts and officers set up a dedicated team to track down the culprits, who were arrested on Thursday at a bus stop along with their animal accomplices.

"When the victim was sitting in an autorickshaw, the men also entered (the vehicle) and asked one monkey to sit on the front seat and another at the back," the official said on Saturday.

"They took the money from victim, a lawyer, had in his wallet and fled with the monkeys."

The third thief is still at large while the monkeys have been sent to an animal rescue centre.

Last year a troop of monkeys attacked a medical official and snatched blood samples of patients who had tested positive for coronavirus in Meerut city in northern India.

Authorities across India have been grappling with the menace posed by monkeys in Delhi and other populated cities, where they often enter homes in search of food.