Love, Fear And A Haunted House: Young Couple Found Dead In Kashmir Leaves Villages In Shock
A missing young couple was found dead inside a feared abandoned house in Anantnag, leaving grieving families and unanswered questions about love, fear and fate.
Published : April 16, 2026 at 5:09 PM IST
Anantnag: In the middle of vast paddy fields in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, there stands a house people do not speak of easily. It sits alone, cut off from the rhythm of village life, carrying a past that has quietly kept people away, even in daylight. For years, it remained a place of whispers and avoidance. This week, it became the centre of a tragedy that has shaken two villages.
The silence around the house broke on a cold Monday morning (April 13) in Kamad Dialgam, when rumours began to spread - first about five bodies, then three and finally two. Among those trying to make sense of the confusion was Farhan Shafi Lone, a college student who had stepped out to graze his sheep.
“That is when I grew suspicious about my missing brother. Otherwise, I would not have gone near the house. The house seems haunted and we avoid going near it even during daylight. But I felt it could be my brother and the girl as the house is feared for its past events,” Farhan says.
What followed confirmed his worst fears. Inside the abandoned house, police recovered two decomposed bodies - that of his elder brother and his ‘minor’ girlfriend. The young couple had been missing for nearly a month after leaving their homes in mid-March.
The house carries a history the village has never fully confronted. Surrounded by fields and cut off from habitation, it was abandoned decades ago by its owners after a series of deaths that locals still recall with unease. Now living in a different part of Kamad, the house’s owner, Mohammad Jabar Bhat, and his family rarely speak about it. But the latest incident has scratched old wounds.
“We lost our young son and a relative there. That son was brighter in studies than the rest of his siblings,” says Bhat’s wife as tears well up in her eyes. The two deceased, Javed Ahmad and Ali Mohammad, were teenagers when they died. The family says there were other deaths before that as well.
“My mother could not bear the pain and would weep all the day. She would complain of restlessness and her heart was not at peace. The situation forced us to abandon the house and shift here some two decades ago. Now, we don’t want to discuss the past,” Bhat’s daughter says, struggling to recall the exact year.
A few kilometres away, in Shichen village too, grief hangs heavy in the air. This is where the young couple belonged. The village, home to around a thousand families, now sees people visiting the bereaved households. At the entrance, a small shrine stands as groups of mourners walk in silence.
Police have registered a case and begun investigations after recovering the bodies. The girl had earlier been reported missing by her father.
According to Sajad Ahmad Rather, in-charge chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee in Anantnag, this was not the first time the girl had run away. “She was underage and we kept her at the Child Care Institution (CCI) for about 15 days. We united her with her family. After counselling sessions, she rejoined school even though she had abandoned her studies,” he says revealing the details to ETV Bharat.
“During her fortnightly proceedings, she would come with parents and expressed desire to prepare for NEET exams. There was nothing to suspect she would run away again and fresh counselling session was scheduled for April 15,” Rather adds.
Back in the boy’s home there are no clear answers. Mourning family members seem struggling to understand what led the couple to such an end, especially when they had spoken of building a life together.
“He had taken nothing when he left. Even he left behind Rs 30 in the room. We searched him everywhere but did not expect he would have gone to the house where we feared to walk in daytime,” Farhan said.
Everyone in the village knew about their relationship, but the girl’s father had opposed the match. “She was a class 11 student and left for school in the morning. She took Rs 850 and had bought a book. But did not return and subsequently I reported to the concerned Police Station in Anantnag. I would wake up in the middle of the night and dial her phone, but it remained switch off,” he says.
He received a call at 11.30 am while spraying in the orchards. "I rushed to the police station and collected her body. She was my soul. I only wanted her to grow up and marry later,” he adds breaking down.
Anantnag police says investigation is on. "Inquest proceedings are ongoing and we are waiting for forensic reports," they say.
In the narrow lanes of the village, neighbours speak in hushed tones. Many had seen the two grow up together. “It is unfortunate to see them ending lives so early in life,” says a woman from the neighbourhood.
Some try to make sense of the tragedy in their own way. One villager, scrolling through his phone, pauses at a photograph of Munasir sitting on a park bench. “Like Laila and Majnu,” he murmurs, before walking away.
In death, the two have been laid to rest in the same graveyard, close, yet apart. “But not at one place. I offer prayers at both graves,” Farhan says quietly.
The house in the fields now stands as it always has - silent, distant and avoided. But this time, the story it holds has travelled far beyond its walls, leaving behind questions that neither families nor villagers seem to have answers to.
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