Monkey steals £1,000 in cash from rickshaw passenger in India

‘The owner managed to collect ₹56,000, while the rest got lost’

A monkey reportedly first snatched a bundle of notes and then showered it on the road (Getty Images)

Money rained in a central Indian city after a monkey snatched a bundle containing Rs 100,000 (£1,000) from a man, hightailed with it to a nearby tree, and scattered the banknotes all over a busy street as spectators rushed to grab what they could.

The incident took place in Madhya Pradesh state’s Katav Ghat area in Jabalpur district over the weekend, according to media reports.

The man, whose money was grabbed by the monkey, was travelling in an auto rickshaw with two others, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.

The passengers were caught in a traffic jam and stepped out of the three-wheeler to see what was causing the delay. Meanwhile, a wild monkey saw its chance and picked up the bundle of notes wrapped in a towel and scurried away before it could be stopped.

The monkey climbed up a tree and shook the towel, showering the road with banknotes, HT reported, as locals rushed to grab the money. Despite desperate attempts by the owner, almost half of the money was picked up by others.

“The owner managed to collect ₹56,000, while the rest got lost,” Majholi police station in charge Sachin Singh was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

According to the police, they haven’t been able to identify the people who picked up the victim’s money since there were no security cameras in place in the area. No official complaint was filed since only the only identified accused was the monkey.

The area is frequented by monkeys because locals keep offering them food, police said. A few bolder ones among the animals also often get inside passing vehicles.

Bizarre incidents involving monkeys aren’t uncommon in India. Last month, a monkey snatched money from a lawyer and returned only half of the amount, reportedly after the lawyer pleaded with the animal, while it showered the rest from a tree.