Chennai: People in a Tamil Nadu village found 53 dead monkeys inside gunnybags on Friday at a cashew grove in Machuvadi village, about 500 km southwest of Chennai.

The villagers alerted police and district authorities. Forest officials rushed to the site. Cases have now been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act and the Indian Penal Code. No one has been arrested yet.

Carcasses have been sent for autopsy to determine what or who killed them. Liver samples have been sent for forensic tests as poisoning is suspected. — HNS