The monkey was kept behind bars at the Remuna police station in Orissa for 5 years on the charge of disturbing communal harmony.
A Muslim family was taking care of Ramu while the children belonged to the Hindu community, sparking communal tension in the area.
Under Indian wildlife rules, rhesus macaque monkeys like Ramu are a Schedule II endangered species and cannot be kept as pets or in cages.
According to Niranjan Kumar Dhir, the officer-in-charge at the Remuna police station, the monkey was given regular baths and fed four times a day.
[1] Following more pressure from the activists and worldwide attention brought to Ramu's plight,[2] the police released the monkey and handed it over to wildlife officials on October 18, 2006.