Monkey takes away 16-day-old sleeping infant in Odisha village
Binita.Jaiswal@timesgroup.com 01.04.2018
Cuttack: In a shocking incident, a monkey snatched a sleeping 16-day-old boy in Talabasta village, in Banki block of Cuttack district, on Saturday. A massive search operation was launched in the area but neither the monkey, nor the baby had been found till the time this report was filed.
The father of the yet-tobe-named infant, Rama Krushna Nayak, 32, was lying next to his child in the verandah of their house when the incident occurred.
His wife, 28-year-old Sarojini, who had woken earlier and was busy with some chore, saw the animal approach the verandah by scaling the boundary wall and scamper off with her child around 6.10am. By the time she could scream, the animal had disappeared with the baby. “The child was sleeping under a small mosquito net. The monkey managed to lift the net and take him away. Sarojini saw it flee with her baby,” said Pramilla, a relative.
Other family members said the infant did not cry since it had been born prematurely and was very weak. After being under treatment in Cuttack, he had been brought home on Thursday. “We are really worried about his health,” said Suresh, another relative. The infant is the Nayak couple’s first child. Sarojini, who has fainted several times since morning, has been admitted in hospital.
Forest officials, accompanied by more than 500 villagers, participated in the search operation. Small teams were formed to look through every tree-top, house and field in Talabasta and its surrounding villages but to no avail.
“Our men climbed every tree in the area but we are yet to find the two,” said Sangram Keshari Mohanty, the ranger of Dampara forest range. “If the monkey enters the Chandanka-Dampara wildlife sanctuary near the village, it will be impossible tofind it,” said a forestofficer.
Angry villagers alleged that monkeys often strayed into their area. “They enter houses and take away vegetables and household items. But this is the first time a baby has been taken,” said Dipak Das, a villager.
Binita.Jaiswal@timesgroup.com 01.04.2018
Cuttack: In a shocking incident, a monkey snatched a sleeping 16-day-old boy in Talabasta village, in Banki block of Cuttack district, on Saturday. A massive search operation was launched in the area but neither the monkey, nor the baby had been found till the time this report was filed.
The father of the yet-tobe-named infant, Rama Krushna Nayak, 32, was lying next to his child in the verandah of their house when the incident occurred.
His wife, 28-year-old Sarojini, who had woken earlier and was busy with some chore, saw the animal approach the verandah by scaling the boundary wall and scamper off with her child around 6.10am. By the time she could scream, the animal had disappeared with the baby. “The child was sleeping under a small mosquito net. The monkey managed to lift the net and take him away. Sarojini saw it flee with her baby,” said Pramilla, a relative.
Other family members said the infant did not cry since it had been born prematurely and was very weak. After being under treatment in Cuttack, he had been brought home on Thursday. “We are really worried about his health,” said Suresh, another relative. The infant is the Nayak couple’s first child. Sarojini, who has fainted several times since morning, has been admitted in hospital.
Forest officials, accompanied by more than 500 villagers, participated in the search operation. Small teams were formed to look through every tree-top, house and field in Talabasta and its surrounding villages but to no avail.
“Our men climbed every tree in the area but we are yet to find the two,” said Sangram Keshari Mohanty, the ranger of Dampara forest range. “If the monkey enters the Chandanka-Dampara wildlife sanctuary near the village, it will be impossible tofind it,” said a forestofficer.
Angry villagers alleged that monkeys often strayed into their area. “They enter houses and take away vegetables and household items. But this is the first time a baby has been taken,” said Dipak Das, a villager.
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