Bareilly (UP), Jun 10 (PTI) Five monkeys were found dead under suspicious circumstances in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, police said on Tuesday.

They said the post-mortem report revealed serious injuries on the monkeys' bodies, ruling out poisoning as the cause of death.

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According to police, the incident took place on Monday in the rice market area of Qila police station limits, where five monkeys were found dead.

While initial speculation among locals suggested they may have been poisoned, the post-mortem report confirmed deep injury marks, fractured bones, and severe internal organ damage in several of the monkeys.

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Qila Station House Officer (SHO) Rajesh Kumar said, "The post-mortem did not indicate poisoning. The monkeys had visible injury marks, and we are reviewing nearby CCTV footage to identify those responsible."

He added that police have begun searching for the culprits and are also questioning locals.

"It's not yet clear who attacked the monkeys or why, but we are investigating the matter seriously," he said. Officials noted that the monkey population in the Qila rice market area has been steadily rising in recent months.

Local traders and residents had repeatedly complained that the animals were causing damage to shops and merchandise.

After the monkeys' were found lying unconscious behind a grain trader's shop a police team and members of animal welfare organisation People for Animals (PFA), including its president Dheeraj Pathak, reached the scene.

The police along with the PFA members removed the animals' bodies from the area. While four monkeys were already dead, a fifth one died shortly afterward.

A team from the Forest Department also arrived at the scene later.

Dheeraj Pathak has submitted a written complaint to Qila police demanding action. "This incident is extremely shameful. Strict action must be taken against those responsible," he said.

Police said that no formal FIR has been registered yet, but the matter remains under investigation.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)