Monkey-man of New Delhi

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For the Rolling Stones song, see Monkey Man.
Police artist's impression of the Monkey Man of New Delhi
Police artist's impression of the Monkey Man of New Delhi

The Monkey Man of New Delhi was a phenomenon that surfaced in New Delhi in 2001.

Contents

[edit] Overview

In May 2001, reports began to circulate in the Indian capital New Delhi of a strange monkey-like creature that was appearing at night and attacking people. Eyewitness accounts were often inconsistent, but tended to describe the creature as about four feet (120 cm) tall, covered in thick black hair, with a metal helmet, metal claws, glowing red eyes and three buttons on its chest.

Theories on the nature of the Monkey Man ranged from an avatar of a Hindu god, to an Indian version of Bigfoot, to a cyborg that could be deactivated by throwing water on the motherboard concealed under fur on its chest.[1]

Many people reported being scratched, and two (by some reports, three) people even died when they leapt from the tops of buildings or fell down stairwells in a panic caused by what they thought was the attacker. At one point, exasperated police even issued artist's impression drawings in an attempt to catch the creature. Many people today still believe this "monkey man" continues to haunt the streets.

[edit] Incidents

  • On May 13, 15 people suffered injuries ranging from bruises to bites and scratches.[1]
  • On May 15, a pregnant woman fell down some stairs fleeing after neighbors shouted that they had seen the Monkey Man.
  • A four foot tall wandering Hindu sadhu was beaten up by an angry mob who mistook him for the Monkey Man.
  • On May 18, a van driver was set upon and sustained multiple fractures in another case of mistaken identification as Monkey Man.

[edit] Last sightings

The news website Ananova reported in June 2001 that the Monkey Man was last seen boarding an Aeroflot flight to Moscow ("Monkey Man reappears on Moscow-bound flight"). The story was also carried by the Russian newspaper Pravda ("Monkey Man Attacks Russian Airliner"). Further sightings were reported in Kanpur in February 2002 and New Delhi in July 2002, the latter describing a monkey-like machine that sparkled red and blue lights.[1]

[edit] Trivia

The phenomenon was mentioned (and poked at humorously) during a television newscast in the modern fantasy computer RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Newton, Michael (2005). "Monkey Man (India)". Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide. McFarland & Company, Inc.. 306-307. ISBN 0-7864-2036-7. 

[edit] External links