The Monkey Man of Delhi
In the hot summer of 2001, East Delhi stayed awake looking for a creature that leapt across rooftops at night.
What was reported
In May 2001, during a heatwave with frequent power cuts, many people in East Delhi slept on rooftops. Reports spread of a creature, part monkey and part man, about four feet tall, that jumped between buildings at night. Some described a helmet, metal claws or glowing red eyes.
Within days there were hundreds of reports across the city. Neighbourhoods formed night patrols, and panic led to injuries as people ran or fell in the dark. The police set up a special team and offered a reward.
Explanations offered
The police found no creature and no one behind it. Investigators and psychologists described it as a mass panic, fed by the heat, the dark, rumour and news coverage; many scratches reported as attacks were later put down to other causes. The reports stopped within a few weeks.
- When
- May 2001
- Where
- East Delhi, India
- Witnesses
- Hundreds of residents
- Status
- Mass panic
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.