Possessed - Real Ghost Encounter in a Row House in Mumbai

Anil and Anamika Agnihotri bought a brand new house in Belapur, Navi Mumbai and then shifted in their sweet home, which was an independent row house and was a cross between classic row houses and a chawl in Mumbai. It had a small garden of its own and the next house was nearly 10 to 15 meters away from their house. The odd thing was that the house didn’t have a bathroom. It was outside the house, like you see in rural Indian villages. So to answer the call of nature one had to go out. However, the Agnihotris didn’t mind it, as living in this house was better than living in a one-room chawl in Vashi with Anil’s parents.

Anil was a salesman in a big garment shop in Dadar in the suburbs of Mumbai. He was frequently out of state on his sales trips. During this time, Anamika used to feel lonely so they would invite some of the relatives to stay over with Anamika. Anil had taken a loan for buying house from his boss. The happiness he saw on Anamika’s face when he purchased the house was something he would never forget in his life. In his parent’s home, they were hardly getting any privacy and Anamika also had to hide her face under the pallu (loose end of a sari covered till the forehead) as it was a rule in the family. She was the only daughter of her parents and hence was brought up by without following any family traditions and rules and regulations. Anil knew how Anamika hated this. Anil had seen many times the pain in her eyes. He than made up his mind to buy a separate home for them, so that Anamika would be free of all these traditions. He had named his house “Anamika Nivas” in the name of her wife and the couple was very happy about it.

Some months later, Anil had to leave for a trip to a nearby city, Nashik in Maharashtra, India. The couple invited Priyanka, Anamika’s young niece to stay over. Anamika and Priyanka got together very well. The age gap between them was hardly of 3 to 4 years. They had a hearty time with each other. “Isn’t her sari lovely?” commented Priyanka seeing a sari on some actress of TV serial Balika Vadhu. “Yeah lovely color. It is very nice. Wish I could have a similar one” said Anamika.

The rest of the evening passed in seeing TV soaps. After having dinner, they both retired to sleep. It was around 2 in the night when Ajay, who used to live next door to their house heard a loud bang on his front door. Wondering and silently cursing the person he went to see who it was. To his shock it was a perspiring Priyanka in a panic stricken state. On seeing Ajay, she said, “Please come and see Anamika Didi. She has been possessed!”

The words didn’t register in Ajay’s mind, but when he got the gist of it he was totally shocked. “How is that possible?”, he thought. Being a student of science, he didn’t believe in all this but seeing Priyanka, he didn’t say this aloud. “Let’s go and see her”. Both of them rushed over to Anamika Nivas where the main door was slightly open. Ajay noticed that all the lights were off and remarked this to Priyanka. Priyanka herself was surprised. She had not switched off the lights. When she had rushed to Ajay’s home the lights were on. “It must be Anamika Didi” She whispered to Ajay. They climbed two steps up the main door. Ajay realized it was very cold, as if he had entered a room, which had it AC on with full blast. He shivered as he entered the dark room. He switched on the lights and as the lights came on and he felt the brilliance of light and was temporarily blinded. At that moment Piyanka screamed. The scream gave Ajay jitters and his eye’s grew accustomed to the light, but what he saw was the most horrific scene he ever had straight out of a horror film.

Anamika was sitting cross-legged on the floor with arms folded. Her face had a ghoulish grin all over it. Her hair was strewn all over her face and her eyes were red and bloodshot. She breathed very heavily. Her skin was very white and she had claw like things instead of nails. She was swaying backward and forward.

Ajay fought the bile in him and looked at Priyanka. She too was shocked and frozen. Gathering his wits, he asked at the form sitting on the floor, “Who are you?” The voice which answered, was gruff, a cross between a man and a woman. It was so cold that even the bravest of brave would easily pee in his pants. “I am Sunita”, said Anamika. By that time, a crowd had gathered hearing Priyanka’s scream. Coincidentally, there was a priest in the crowd. He specialized in exorcism. He entered the house and looked at Anamika. He at once understood that the woman was possessed. He signaled Ajay to keep quite and said to the figure. “Who are you? Why you have entered this woman’s body?” “I am Sunita. I live near the bathroom. She came and disturbed me. As she came near my abode and disturbed me I entered her”. “Leave this woman. She has not harmed you”, said the priest. “Never. I am able to connect to this world because of this woman only and you think I’ll throw this opportunity away? Ha!” The priest at once removed a garland of some beads from his bag and mumbled something and threw it on Anamika.

“Aiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooooo” the voice of the ghost screamed. This scream made the blood of all the onlookers freeze with horror. It sounded like a dog howling in pain. The atmosphere was electric and the people could not take their eyes off the possessed figure now lying on the floor writhing with pain. “Aaiiieeeeooooo!!” went the scream again and the figure collapsed.

“The spirit has now left the woman” the priest said.

At once Priyanka rushed towards the figure. She took Anamika’s head on her lap and asked Ajay to bring a glass of water. Ajay got it and sprinkled some water on Anamika’s face. She woke up groggily. Seeing that Anamika was okay now the Priest said to the crowd, “Lets dig the area near the bathroom and see what we can find”.

The crowd moved to the backside of the house. Ajay too followed them. Spades were obtained from somewhere and people started digging the area. Very soon one of the persons digging the area shouted that he had hit something solid. Other diggers immediately followed his words as they too experienced something solid. Someone brought a big torch and lit it on the hole. They saw a big rectangular metal box, which was corroded on its sides.

The box was hurriedly brought out and the priest broke up the lock on the box easily with a stone. Even though people around the freshly dug up hole expected what to find inside in the box, they too recoiled when the lid was opened. A pile of yellowish colored bones lay in a heap in the box. A moth eaten salwar kameez (a two piece dress worn by women in India) was also inside, but what attracted the people most was the skull. They saw a nail in the skull, which meant the nail, was stamped in the woman when she was alive.

The priest said to the onlookers that the box along with its contents should be reported to the local crematorium so that it would be cremated as per traditional Hindu cremation rights. He informed that by doing so the spirit would be free and will attain solace. The box was carried off and the crowd dispersed.

Ajay went back to the two women and told them the happenings. He saw the two women sitting on the chairs. He asked Anamika if she could remember what had happened. Anamika said that she only recollected going to the bathroom and than blacking out. After that she said she could not remember anything else.

All this time Priyanka had kept her head on the table. She was fast asleep. “Poor girl! She had to go through all this at such a young age!”, Ajay thought. He also decided that it was better if Anamika didn’t knew she was possessed. He thought of telling this to Anil when he returns. He shook Priyanka gently and said, “Priyanka…Priyanka get up. Please come out I want to have a word with you”. He went out to the main door into the night as he heard footsteps follow him. He spoke, “I think its best not to say anything to Anamika. Not now at least. She will be very afraid. We will wait till Anil comes and then tell her. As it is she doesn’t remember anything now!” “I’ll not say anything” came Priyanka’s answer, but it was not Priyanka’s voice and her eyes blazed as Priyanka began swaying sideways.

Hey friends it is my first ghost story after many months. I last wrote about Real Ghost Encounter in Khandala Bungalow so looking forward for responses from all of you.