Idukki: The Cumbummettu Police in Kerala's Idukki district have come up with a unique solution to a monkey problem: Rubber snakes.

Troops of monkeys have been causing trouble at the police station situated on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. Raiding the police mess hall, looting a vegetable garden and scaring petitioners were just some of the monkey business that had gone beyond the cops' control.

“A plantation worker in Udumbanchola left rubber snakes in the estate to scare away the monkeys and it worked. That was our inspiration and it seems to be working,” said VS Anilkumar, SHO, Cumbummettu.

The cops bought a few replicas which they hung from branches near the station and in just two days the number of monkeys roaming the premises has dropped considerably. The animals probably think those are real ones and are keeping away.

“The numbers have come down but because this was just an experiment, we have only four or five replicas. We are planning to get a few more to be placed around the station,” Anilkumar said.