The human inhabitants of Lopburi have long suffered from a growing and aggressive monkey population and authorities have built special enclosures to contain groups of the unruly residents. But on Saturday around 200 of the primates broke out and rampaged through town, with one posse descending on a local police station.

“We’ve had to make sure doors and windows are closed to prevent them from entering the building for food,” police captain Somchai Seedee told AFP on Monday. He was concerned the marauders could destroy property including police documents, he added.

Around a dozen of the intruders were still perched proudly on the roof of the police station on Monday, photos from local media showed.

Down in the streets, hapless police and local authorities were working to round up rogue individuals, luring them away from residential areas with food.Around a dozen of the intruders were still perched proudly on the roof of the police station on Monday, photos from local media showed.

While Thailand is an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, it has long assimilated Hindu traditions and lore from its pre-Buddhist era. As a result monkeys are afforded a special place in Thai hearts thanks to the heroic Hindu monkey god Hanuman, who helped Rama rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of an evil demon king.