More than 20 monkeys were found poisoned and dumped in gunny bags near a forest highway at Kolar in Karnataka, in a fresh case of animal cruelty.
Post-mortem of the primates has been done by the Forest department and they are going through CCTV footage in a bid to nab the culprits.
At least 30 other monkeys were found killed in a similar incident at a village in Hassan district in July this year. Another 20 monkeys were found injured.
The incident was reported from Chowdanahalli village of Belur taluk. The accused had stuffed the monkeys in gunny bags after poisoning and beating them up and thrown them by the roadside near Chowdanahalli.
The bags were found by local youth who opened them to find some monkeys gasping for breath and unable to move.
Karnataka High Court took cognisance of the matter later. District administration, Forest department and the Animal Welfare Board officials were made respondents in a PIL which was filed.
In another incident last year, as many as 50 monkeys were found poisoned and their carcass stuffed in gunny bags in Telangana's Mahbubabad district. The carcasses were found on a hillock near Sanigapuram village, according to a Forest department official.