BIJNOR: A one-and-a-half-month-old infant was rescued by alert villagers after being snatched by a monkey in Didoli village of Amroha district.The incident took place on Monday evening when Mukesh Kumar, 27, his wife, Rekha Devi, 24, and their baby boy were sleeping on a cot in the courtyard of their house. When Rekha went into the kitchen, a monkey entered the courtyard, picked up the infant and climbed onto the roof.Hearing the infant’s screams, Rekha came out of the kitchen and shouted for help. According to the baby’s uncle, Vikas Kumar, neighbours rushed to the spot and avoided scaring the animal, fearing it might drop the baby. The villagers acted with caution and began throwing rotis towards the monkey to divert its attention. Lured by food, the monkey left the baby on the roof and moved away. Seizing the opportunity, a few villagers climbed up and rescued the infant safely.Following the incident, residents demanded immediate action from the administration to control the growing monkey menace in the area. Block development officer Joya Lokchand Anand said the forest department has been instructed to capture monkeys and assured that effective measures would be taken.Village head Mahipal Singh said frequent monkey attacks have terrorised residents in the area. “Women and children fear stepping out of their houses. The monkeys often attack women drying clothes on rooftops and snatch bags from children going to school. Shopkeepers have also complained of regular thefts from their shops and carts,” he said.s