Two men were arrested for allegedly using monkeys to threaten and rob people in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, the police said on Friday.
DCP (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said that the accused have been identified as Balwan Nath (26) and Vikram Nath (23). They were held from Chirag Delhi bus stand.
The monkeys have been handed over to Wildlife SOS centre, the police said.
The police said that the matter came to light on March 2, when an advocate from Khirki Extension reported that three men carrying monkeys surrounded him and robbed him of ₹6,000. “When the lawyer was sitting in an autorickshaw, the accused got the monkeys sit inside the vehicle with one in the front and the other at the back seat and demanded money from him. When the advocate took out the wallet, the duo took it and fled,” Mr. Thakur said.
The police said that on Thursday, they got a tip-off that the two men with monkeys were at Chirag Delhi bus stand and they had committed robbery and could commit more thefts. Acting on the information, the two were held. The police said that the accused are residents of Okhla Mor and along with their third accomplice Ajay, used monkeys to threaten people and rob them of their valuables. Teams are looking for Ajay, they said.
The accused had caught the monkeys from Tughlakabad Fort jungle around three months ago.
The police said that a case was registered under IPC Sections 392 (punishment for robbery) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) at Malviya Nagar police station. Other relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, were also added.
