Two people, one a pregnant woman, have died in east Delhi and more than 30 have suffered injuries after police in the Indian capital were bombarded with reports of attacks by a mysterious "monkey man".
The attacker, often but not always described as about 5ft tall, wearing a mask and with
metallic claws, has been preying on residents of the slums and working-class districts in the east of the city for more than two weeks.
In the heat of the summer, when temperatures even at night are in excess of 37C, many people in Delhi seek what relief they can get by sleeping on the flat roofs of their homes. The poor districts also suffer long power cuts, and the attacker or attackers have taken advantage of this to terrify his victims.
A 35-year-old man from Arvind Nagar said: "A strange growling noise woke me at 1am. I could make out the hazy outline of a creature sitting on the roof. He leapt at me and ripped me with his steel claws."
More than two dozen people have scratch marks to show for such encounters, but the rumours of attacks have caused at least as much harm, with terrified citizens hurling themselves from roofs and terraces as the cry of "monkey man!" resounds across the rooftops.
- INDEPENDENT
