Monkeys Allegedly Steal Newborn Twins From Home, Kill 1 By Flinging Into Moat

Monkeys in India allegedly abducted newborn twins, and killed one of them by flinging the baby into a moat.

The twins' mother, Bhuvaneshwari, was cooking in the kitchen when she heard monkeys screeching. She rushed to the living room and found the simians had fled with the 8-day-old twins, local news outlet The News Minute reported.

The incident took place in Thanjavur, a district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, on Saturday. The father of the babies was at work when the incident took place.

The mother immediately contacted the police, and a team of officers rushed to the scene to search for the babies. A while later, the officer found one of the babies in a moat behind the home. The other twin was rescued after being found abandoned on the roof of the home.

"On Saturday afternoon we received a call saying newborn babies were missing, following which a team from the station left for their house. While one infant was found on top of the tiled roof, after some search we were able to find the other baby lying inside a moat behind the house," a police officer told The News Minute.

"According to the information we got, the mother was cooking inside the house while the twins were asleep. They claim that the monkeys could have gotten inside through the roof," the officer said.

Investigators believe the baby died after being flung into the moat by the monkeys.

"Monkeys are not rampant in the area but they seem to be moving in groups from one place to another. However, we have not received any other complaints relating to monkey menace," the officer added.

Meanwhile, a forest officer told local daily The Times of India that monkeys entering a home after removing tiles and exiting from the same place is very rare.

"It is very difficult for the animal to remove the tiles to enter and come out through the same hole. Moreover, as per the doctor's statement, the infant which is under observation in hospital, as well as the baby which died, had no marks of being grabbed by the animal on their bodies," the forest officer told the newspaper.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday following which the body of the newborn will be handed over to the parents.