Agra, Nov 13 (IANS): A child born only 12 days ago died after a monkey snatched it from his mother's lap on the outskirts of Agra city, police said on Tuesday.

The mother, Neha, was feeding Sunny around 8 p.m. on Monday when the monkey pounced on the baby in Kachhara area.

Before the mother could react, the newborn was seen dangling from the monkey's clutch as it jumped up the walls and vanished on the rooftop.

The stunned family initially tried to lure the monkey with eatables but the animal bit the baby on the neck and clawed the body as neighbours rushed towards it.

"After a search we found the body bruised all over and rushed it to the hospital in Sikandra where the doctors declared him dead," a family member said.

Sunny was the first child born to Yogesh, an auto-rickshaw driver, and his wife, who were married two years back.

"Neha is devastated," a neighbour said. "She keeps losing consciousness."

Only a few days ago another child from the area was brutally attacked by monkeys. The victim is in ICU.

A motorcycle rider died after hitting a road divider when simians attacked him on the Mahatma Gandhi Road a month ago.

Agra has been plagued by monkey menace for the past 10 years.

The monkey population is estimated to have crossed 50,000. Even rural areas bordering Agra are seriously affected by the problem.