Rooftop 'ghost' sightings spark panic in Varanasi, New Delhi

Intriguing news from New Delhi this week concerns the alleged presence of a paranormal entity that Varanasi residents have seen on the roofs of local buildings.

The unexplained visitor, which is said to be dressed all in white, has caused so much concern among the locals that some people are now too scared to leave their homes.

It is not particularly unusual for such cases of mass hysteria to strike in some of the poorer parts of the world or where superstitious beliefs are commonplace, but in this particular case, someone has actually captured the alleged spirit on camera and posted it up on the Internet.

The clip, which can be viewed below, is rather difficult to make out, but it does appear to show a white-clothed figure standing (or perhaps sitting) on the edge of a building's roof a short distance away.The figure doesn't really move much - it's just kind of chilling on the ledge around 10 - 20ft in the air.

So could this really be a ghost ?

While some of the locals evidently think so, it seems more likely that this is either a regular person wearing a white sheet or robe, or even just a sheet draped over the edge of the building.

The police have also reportedly registered a case against known miscreants at a local station, suggesting that this might be more of a prank than a case of supernatural intervention.