In Mehrauli, Delhi, a businessman, a taxi driver, and a foreigner confront an ancient curse that awakens the chilling secrets of Delhi’s haunted ruins.
The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and mystery as Rajiv, a shrewd businessman, exited his office late one evening. His driver had called in sick, so he hailed a taxi near Mehrauli’s Qutub Minar.
The taxi screeched to a halt, driven by an unkempt man named Vijay, whose piercing gaze held a strange intensity. Rajiv hesitated but climbed in, giving directions to his bungalow. As the car moved through Mehrauli’s narrow lanes, Vijay began humming a haunting melody.
“Do you believe in spirits, sir?” Vijay asked abruptly, his eyes meeting Rajiv’s in the rearview mirror.
Rajiv chuckled nervously. “I believe in profits, not ghosts.”
Vijay smirked. “Then you haven’t heard about the cursed banyan tree near the ruins.”
Rajiv rolled his eyes, but before he could respond, the taxi stalled near an ancient, gnarled tree. A chilling wind swept through the street, making the hair on Rajiv’s neck stand on end. Vijay got out, muttering, “The spirits don’t like to be ignored.”
A woman’s voice startled them both. “Need help?” It was Eleanor, a foreign researcher living in Mehrauli, drawn by its eerie allure. She carried a lantern and a book bound in cracked leather.
Curiosity overcame fear as the three investigated the tree. Eleanor explained that the banyan was tied to a 200-year-old legend of a tantrik who cursed Mehrauli to eternal unrest. As she read aloud an incantation from the book, the ground trembled. A shadowy figure emerged, its eyes glowing like embers.
The trio ran, but the figure followed, whispering their secrets. Rajiv’s illicit deals, Vijay’s hidden crimes, and Eleanor’s obsession with forbidden rituals surfaced in chilling clarity.
Back at the taxi, the shadow cornered them. “You summoned me. Now fulfill the pact,” it hissed.
The cursed banyan’s roots snaked out, pulling them into the ground. By morning, Mehrauli was silent again, except for the whispering wind and the faint glow near the tree.