Parents say troop of monkeys saved their child from being raped

Police are investigating a family’s claims that a man tried to assault their six-year-old daughter before monkeys chased him away

The parents of a six-year-old child in India say an attack by a troop of monkeys saved their daughter from being raped.

The girl escaped unharmed after an unknown stranger lured her into an abandoned house in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, the family said.

Police have registered a case under child protection laws, though the assailant has not been identified. No arrests have yet been made.

The girl’s father told the Times of India that the man was captured on a surveillance camera leading the child into an abandoned house through the narrow lanes of the village. The man attempted to sexually assault her when a troop of monkeys aggressively charged towards him, forcing him to leave, the family say.

The girl escaped from the house and later described to her family how the “monkeys saved her”, the newspaper reported.

“My daughter was playing outside when the accused took her away,” the father said. “The man can be seen in nearby CCTV footage, walking in a narrow lane with my daughter.”

The girl told her parents that the man threatened to kill her father if she spoke to anyone about the incident.

“My daughter would have been dead by now if monkeys had not intervened,” the girl’s father said.

Harish Bhadioria, a local police officer, said they are investigating the incident “involving monkeys”.

A complaint has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

Police say they are still working to identify and track down the perpetrator.

Monkeys live alongside people in many parts of India due to the loss of their natural habitat, and some species – particularly rhesus macaques – are infamous for their occasionally aggressive behaviour towards humans when they feel threatened.

Many in the Hindu-majority country also revere and feed the animals they consider to be connected to the demigod Hanuman, who takes the form of a monkey. They are often found in large numbers outside temples where devotees offer them food.