Monkey Grabs 4-Month-Old, Throws Child Off Roof While Parents Watch Helplessly

In a tragic incident, a 4-month-old child in India died after being allegedly tossed off a roof by a monkey.

Authorities said Sunday the incident took place in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Nirdesh Upadhyay, 25, was with his wife and their son on the terrace of his three-storey house Friday evening when a troop of monkeys jumped on to the roof.

The couple tried to drive away the monkeys, but one of them grabbed their child. The child's parents watched helplessly as their baby was taken away by the monkey, Manorama Online reported [Google Translate].

Within minutes, the monkey threw the baby off the roof. The police said the child fell off the house and died on the spot.

The monkeys also attacked other family members when they reached the roof. The child's father was bitten by one of the monkeys.

Local media reports said the deceased child had one sibling, who was seven years older than him. It remains unclear where the other sibling was at the time of the incident.

Bareilly Chief Conservator of Forests Lalit Verma said a team from the forest department was sent to conduct an investigation, India Today reported, citing PTI.

Monkey menace is a huge problem in many parts of India, mostly because of their aggressive behavior. They are seen roaming freely in many parts of the country, especially in the Uttar Pradesh.

In a similar incident earlier this year, a troop of monkeys dragged away a 2-month-old baby after finding the child sleeping in a room on the terrace of a home. The infant was sleeping next to his grandmother when the monkeys attacked and grabbed him. The child was allegedly dropped into a water tank, where his body was later found by the family. The child's parents told the local police this was the second time the monkeys had tried to take away their child but the initial attempt was thwarted.

A senior police officer told the media: “After scanning CCTV footage of the area, we found that the monkeys had jumped from the terrace with the child, which was in the arms of one of the simians.”