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It's been almost a month now. Indian Offiials in Ghaziabad naer Delhi have been bombarded with reports of a mythical Monkey Man with iron claws attacking people during the night. Sine April 28th nearly sixty people have had to receive medical attention for fractures or deep scratches caused by the attacker. Two have been killed, from deep puncture wounds to the skull.
Police are being inundated with calls about sightings and atacks by the Monkey Man whom some claim is a beast, and others a man wearing a rhesus monkey mask. Police say there seems to be no evidence of robbery or sexual assault.
Last week an 18 year old boy claimed to have been attacked at his home. According to the boy he was attacked by a creature with brown fur resembling a monkey which flew out of the window after he hit it with a bottle. The boy was taken to the hospital and released with minor injuries.
On the same date a construction worker in the vacinity said he was attacked by someone he could not clearly see. All he saw was someone, or something, "black and frightening." The man walked away with only a frew scratches to his arm.
On Sunday night a panic-stricken industrial worker, who is believed to have been 'chased' by the Monkey Man, leapt off the terrace of a single storey building and died.
Whilst the majority of the attacks were simply that: attacks. The Monkey Man is now running up a death toll. Until the weekend deaths happened only as people were trying to escape from the Monkey Man. On Friday two men, a railway worker and a homeless man, were killed within six hours of each other. Two families claim they saw "a shadow" which mysteriously disappeared after the attacks.
With these attacks it seems the Monkey Man has killed for the first time by puncturing his victims' skulls. According to Doctors at Narender Mohan Hospital which saw to the victims:
"There were three punctures on the victim's skull, which were two to three inches deep and six inches long. When they brought (one of the victims) here an hour after the attack, there was no bleeding. There were two fractures on his right hand. There were also linear scratches on the back and abdomen. On the right hip, there was a deep wound."
The second victim also had wounds in his head, two inches deep and five inches long. A different doctor said "Some linear abrasions were also found on his chest."
Delhi has been beset with mass hysteria, causing more casualties than the Monkey Man himself. A 30 year old man was nearly lynched on Thursday because a mob thought he was the mysterious Monkey Man. In another incident a professional driver was at the wheel of a car when a mob, apparantly a group of vigilantes, accousted him because they believed his failure to stop when ordered was a confirmation of his guilt. The driver suffered fractures to his wrists and numerous cuts.
According to local media reports people are frightened, and they are panicking. The streets are becoming vacant with stores and arcades closing well before sunset. Office workers are working from home and some shops and business are not even opening at all.
Over the weekend nearly 50 calls were received by people reporting to have seen the Monkey Man. All of the calls seemed, however, to be more a result of panic and overactive imaginations that actual encounters. Shadows, noices and even gossip is pompting many residents to call for help from the police.
"The only thing that we have been able to fathom is that a prankster, with a sick sense of humour, is behind the attacks. However, nine out of ten sighting are bogus. Apparently, everybody wants his moment of glory. These bogus sighting are making it impossible for us to get to the bottom of the matter," said a police officer.
The police believe they are close to solving the mystery of the Monkey Man. Sightings have reduced after police arrested dozens for spreading rumours.
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