In fear of the 'creature'
- TRAIL OF BANANA TERROR
NISHA LAHIRI
Terror has gripped all 10 floors of a building on Shakespeare
Sarani. Nobody is quite sure what it is - some call it a cat, others a
mongoose, and it is in all probability a civet - but the furry little
creature is creating havoc in Sukh Sadan, with residents even shutting
doors and windows after dark.
A week ago, when Swati Ray, on the 10th floor, heard her bird
screeching at night, she rushed to find the pet hopping around in the cage
and "the animal" attacking it. By the time her husband heard her cries for
help, the animal had jumped out of the window and disappeared.
Her neighbour Farida's flat on the same floor has been raided
thrice, with bananas and apples eaten and left scattered. Afraid for her
children, she now shuts all the windows at night. Two floors below, Zeba
Rehman had to give away her three-year-old son's pet chicks to her driver,
after they were attacked by "the creature".
"One morning, when I woke up at 5, my living room, including the
furniture, was littered with banana peels. I was terrified. Since then, I
keep my windows closed at night, even if it's hot," says the mother of
two.
On the same floor, Nahid Arshad has more tales of banana terror to
tell. On the fourth floor, the Singh family children often sleep in the
living room. One night, they were attacked by "the creature".
When Karan, a teenager, tried to defend himself with a pillow, the
animal "bared its teeth and prepared to attack". The kids shouted for help
and the animal fled out of the window. One resident was, reportedly,
attacked on the staircase.
The residents speculate that the animal lives on a plot of land
behind Sukh Sadan, which is overgrown with trees, shrubs and undergrowth.
Some have spotted it on the trees, others have seen it lounging on the
building's boundary wall. But most are caught unawares by its presence on
their windowsills.
"We are all very afraid, because the animal isn't afraid of us. It
attacks and we are scared for our children. But we don't know what to do.
All we want is for some NGO to catch it and take it away," says Swati Ray.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050823/asp/calcutta/story_5144201.asp
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