The Bhandup cops were hauled up by the police top brass last week for falling prey to rumours that ‘monkey men’, who could climb tall trees with ease and jump over rooftops, were trying to break into homes and kill residents before committing robberies. […] Policemen were visiting shoe shops in the area in an attempt to identify whether "shoes with special springs" were being manufactured there, sources revealed. […]
“For a few weeks, rumours were floated by some people in Bhandup (West) that have been causing a lot of inconvenience to local residents. They said ‘monkey men’, who were capable of jumping great lengths and climbing tall trees, were prowling around the area to commit violent robberies. With the civic polls coming up, various political parties had also seized upon the opportunity to create patrolling squads of their own,” said a senior Mumbai Police officer, who did not wish to be named. “The Assistant Commissioner of Police of the area ordered men to go to shoe shops and conduct enquiries about shoes that had special springs built into the soles to make people jump to great heights."
