The monkeys of northern India's Shimla region have a fearsome reputation - and as this video shows, for a very good reason. A teenager in the area has discovered the hard way that the locals should not be toyed with after his affront to a monkey left him sprawled on his back. Footage captured on a CCTV camera near an office in Shimla, India, shows the playful monkey first jumping onto a ledge to watch pedestrians wander past. Scroll down for video . The teenager wanders past the monkey, who eyeballs him from a ledge as he gives it the middle finger . Much like a human, the monkey interprets the gesture as an insult and responds by throwing himself at the teenager . Catching the teenager off guard, it lands with its feet directly in his face . He is sent sprawling onto the ground, while the monkey quickly bounds back up again to the ledge . It is then the monkey finds himself in a stare down with the young man - who rather cheekily, gives it the middle finger believing it will do no harm. What he didn't anticipate was the monkey rearing its tail, bearing its fangs and launching itself at his face - taking him by surprise and sending him sprawling onto his back. Although he walked away from the incident unharmed, he sat in a state of shock for several moments while the monkey returned to his perch. Those familiar with the Shimla region will be unsurprised - the monkeys of the area have a terrifying reputation. They are known to roam about in gangs, stealing tourists' food and rummaging through bags and even peoples' pockets in order to take valuables such as phones and cameras. Monkey bites across the area are common and in some instances, they have caused deaths when people attempting to flee them have fallen from heights. The monkeys of the Shimla region, such as the one featured in this video, have a reputation for aggression .
Teenager was caught on CCTV giving the middle finger to monkey in India.
But the monkey interprets it as a threat and launches itself at his face.
The teenager is left sprawled on his back and in shock following the attack.