A frail 91-year-old woman was left dying on the concrete after a monkey suddenly pounced and knocked her flying in the courtyard of her own home, a horrific scene captured in chilling CCTV footage that has now emerged from India.
Najamunnisa Begum, the widow of noted writer M.S. Savadatti, was taking an evening stroll through the compound of her house in B.T. Patil Nagar, Koppal district, Karnataka, on Saturday 19 September when the animal struck.
The grainy but unmistakable security camera footage, timestamped 7:42 pm, shows the elderly woman in a pale traditional outfit standing near a metal gate. A monkey sits perched on a nearby pillar. Moments later, the animal leaps. She is sent crashing backwards onto the hard ground and does not get up.
Family members say she had stepped outside after hearing a noise. The impact was so sudden she had no time to react. The fall left her with a serious head injury.
Her daughter heard the commotion and rushed out to help. According to relatives, the same monkey then turned on her as well. Neighbours quickly arrived at the scene, and the animal fled.
Najamunnisa was taken to a private hospital. At first she appeared to be holding her own. Then her condition deteriorated. She died the following day, Sunday 20 September, while still receiving treatment.
The video is brief but brutal. It shows an ordinary residential courtyard at dusk – parked scooters, a water tank, a tree, a simple gate. One moment the 91-year-old is on her feet. The next she is lying motionless on the floor. A second figure then hurries into frame as the chaos unfolds.
The incident has added to growing alarm across India about increasingly aggressive monkeys, particularly towards the elderly. Just days earlier, a 55-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh died after falling from a rooftop while trying to escape a troop of monkeys. Similar fatal encounters have been reported in Himachal Pradesh and elsewhere.
For the family of a respected local writer, the loss is especially cruel. Najamunnisa Begum had lived a long life only to be brought down in seconds by an animal in her own front yard.
Local residents have expressed shock and fear. Many say monkeys have become bolder in recent years, venturing into residential compounds with little hesitation. Authorities have yet to issue a detailed public statement on whether any specific action will be taken in Koppal following this latest tragedy.
The CCTV clip continues to circulate widely, a stark reminder of how quickly an everyday evening walk can turn fatal when wildlife and humans collide in close quarters.
A note on comments: Our advertisers enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy on racism, hate speech, and threats of violence. Any comment that crosses that line will be removed and the account permanently banned — no warnings. Debate hard, but keep it civil.
A note on comments: Our advertisers enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy on racism, hate speech, and threats of violence. Any comment that crosses that line will be removed and the account permanently banned — no warnings. Debate hard, but keep it civil.