The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday began razing down an old building known as ‘Bhoot Bangla’ (haunted house) at Koh-e-Fiza. later, at around 7 pm, the process of demolishing the building was stopped.

With a view to checking criminal activities inside the building, Mayor Alok Sharma took this bold decision to raze down the building, after discussing the issue with the building’s owner and administrative officials.

In the afternoon, the anti-encroachment squad of the BMC along with bulldozers reached the spot, but the process commenced only after 2 pm.

When the staff of BMC entered the building for action, it found different articles that are used in addiction.

Recently, a man of Shivpuri had brutally murdered his wife in the same building. Since, the house was considered haunted, nobody dared reach near the building.

The building belonged to Seth Chhaganmal and once it used to be a prestigious bungalow. Nawab Hamidullah of Bhopal used to visit the owner there quite frequently. Rangpanchami festival was celebrated there with pomp and show. In 1930, during a marriage function, King of Nepal had also visited the place. later, the building was deserted after a property dispute among the family members. The only family member is a local businessman Santosh Agrawal.

The building was considered jinx in 1965, when in the deserted building, body of a contractor Nawab Miyan was found. Since then, five bodies have been recovered from this bungalow and it had become a hideout for local criminals.