In East Delhi, fear is the (mon)key 
HT Correspondent 
(New Delhi, May 15) 

WHILE THE Delhi police continued its hunt for the missing link(s), the
mysterious 'monkey-man' claimed its second victim on Tuesday. Suman, a
pregnant woman of 21 was among a crowd of relatives attempting to flee to
safety from the roof of her Ashok Nagar house. She died when she lost her
balance in the melee and tumbled down the stairs. 

On Monday, a Noida
resident jumped to death from the roof of his house fearing an attack. 

Although a 1,000-strong police force has not been able to spot the
creature, people who sleep out in the open in north-east and east Delhi
continue to report attacks. 

Everybody seems to be on the lookout. In Noida, a mechanic wearing an
all-black outfit matched the description of the mysterious creature both
physically and sartorially. At least according to the people who beat him
up on the suspicion, and then handed him over to the police. 

If the motive of the `monkey-man' (or gang of men) is to spread terror, it
has certainly succeeded. 

While the cops continue to voice skepticism about the phenomenon, people
like Sher Singh of Kartar Nagar enjoy their moment of glory. Claiming not
only to have grappled with the creature but also injuring it, he described
it as four feet tall and definitely a homo sapien. 

Then there was 35-year-old Sanjay of Arvind Nagar, narrating his
`encounter' with pride. 

"A strange growling noise woke me at 1 am. I could make out the hazy
outline of a creature sitting on the roof. He leapt at me and ripped at me
with his steel claws," said Sanjay. 

Housewives Kiran and Laxmi too were sleeping on the roof when the creature
appeared. As they flung themselves over their children and shut their
eyes, the creature slapped and clawed them. Laxmi has scratch marks below
her ear Kiran has welts on her neck to show for it.