Deccan Chronicle March 3rd

You don’t have to wait for Halloween to experience close encounters of the spooky kind in the city. Take a moonlit walk through any of Hyderabad’s haunted hot spots and even a sceptic might become a believer. In a recent incident, the cabin crew of an international airlines had quite a fright when they were put up in a hotel located in Shamshabad.
“The crew members switched off the lights of their room and they could see something outside their window. On a closer look, it looked like a man hanging upside down. They started screaming and soon the hotel management came to take charge of the situation,” exclaims an airhostess from the city But that’s not all. Other guests at the hotel too complain about the usual horror fare — creaking windows, leaking taps and light switches with a mind of its own. When it was brought to the hotel management’s attention, they tried to downplay it and calm the agitated guests. Some were even offered huge discounts.
Ramoji Film Studios may be in the list of places to see in Hyderabad. But what many don’t know is that the film city is mentioned in the top 10 haunted places in the world! Sites like www.rameysrealm.com and innumerable blogs online talk about this tourist spot’s spooky tales.
Certain areas in the heart of the city too score high on the paranormal activity radar. The graveyard on Road No. 12, Banjara Hills has quite an eerie reputation. Rehan Khan, a 23-year-old student of NIIT says, “After partying, we usually go over to a restaurant on that road to eat as it is open till late in the night. many a times, when we passed by the graveyard, the streetlights have just switch off by themselves. One can actually feel the temperature there drop by five degrees. My car tyre got punctured there thrice. Now I avoid taking that route.”
The infamous “bhoot bungalow” on Road No. 1, Banjara Hills is said to be haunted by its centuries-old tenants. Jitesh K., a student of CBIT who got a little too adventurous one night says, “My friends and I thought we’ll check the house out ourselves. It was 12.30 in the night and we all stepped into the dilapidated building. I could feel something touching me throughout, apart from hearing muffled sobs, whispers and screams. We ran out. Once I got home, my friends and I were down with fever for two weeks and even doctors couldn’t diagnose the cause,” he says.
Also, once you step into Secunderabad, watch out for spectral hitchhikers. Ronald De’Souza, an employee of HSBC says, “On the MCEME road that goes towards Alwal, I once encountered a strange, forlorn looking old man asking for a lift as I zipped past. Took pity and reversed my car to find him gone. The image of that man still haunts me.”
The Bhongir fort has the reputation for being infested with period ghosts. Krishna N., an employee of Tata Motors says, “We went on a bike trip to the fort and decided to climb the abandoned fort on the hill even though it was dark. When we reached the top, we heard anklets and wind chimes. We thought there were other tourists present. But there were none.” Eerie creatures of the night seem to have a thing for the railway tracks, the most infamous one being the one near Safilguda. Mahesh Mohandas, a resident of Hanumanpet, says, “When I drive back that way late in the night, I often see a woman in white smiling at me. it’s a miracle I am not possessed.”