Thiruvalla: A monkey stole a brand-new smart phone from a woodcutter, leaving the owner stunned and helpless.

Ramanan, a firewood cutter from Velamparambil, had bought a new phone just a few days ago, spending ₹8,000 from his hard-earned savings. On Friday around 5 PM, while working at a property owned by10th ward Member of Peringara Panchayat, S. Sanalkumari, Ramanan placed his phone on the premises of the plot and went about his usual work. To his utter shock, a monkey grabbed the phone and ran off. Ramanan stood shuddering for a moment, He was unable to make out what had happened. He then pleaded aloud to the monkey to return his phone.

For nearly half an hour, the mischievous monkey leaped around by swiping the phone, occasionally glancing at Ramanan and jumping onto a nearby coconut tree. Finally the monkey, unable to do anything with it, dropped the device from the top of the tree and climbed higher up.

Ramanan was relieved as the phone landed safely on the ground. Unfortunately, no one could record the unusual scene, as the only phone in the area was possessed by the monkey.

After the incident, a nearby resident suggested taking a photo of the retrieved phone, but Ramanan simply pocketed it and headed home.