A four-month old infant died after being snatched from his father’s hands by a group of monkeys in India, local media reported on Sunday.
The incident, which took place on Friday in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, saw a troop of monkeys attack the father who was walking on the third-story roof with the baby boy in his hand, India Today reported.
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The father, who has been identified as 25-year-old Nirdesh Upadhyay, dropped the baby as he tried to escape the attack, according to a DNA India report.
As the injured father called for help, the monkeys reportedly proceeded to grab the baby and throw him off the roof.
The infant died on the scene.
As family members rushed to assist the injured father, the monkeys also reportedly attacked them.
The father-son duo was on the rooftop to get fresh air since a power cut was active in the village where they reside, the Times of India (TOI) reported citing an interview with the distressed parent.
A team of officials, including those from the forest department, are conducting a probe into the incident, according to reports.
Divisional forest officer Samir Kumar said: “The incident was very unfortunate. Such behavior is not normal and may require further study by experts. The forest department is trying to take away some of the monkeys from densely populated areas,” according to the TOI report.
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