Jagannath, a police official in Chikkamagaluru district's Narasimharajapura police station received a strange phone call on Friday.  

He was told that residents of Shigevani village in NR Pura are leaving the village en masse after an astrologer said that they would die if they continued to live there.  

Jagannath travelled swiftly to the village to find around 25 families in the village missing.  

"When I reached here, people told me that the residents began leaving after a local astrologer said that the residents will die if they continued to live there. The residents of the village approached the astrologer after three mysterious deaths in the village," he says speaking to TNM.  

A resident claimed that those fleeing the village were worried that the 'spirit' of a man who had recently died in the village was haunting them.  

"These residents have been living in the village for the past 15 years and while they had basic facilities, they were plagued with health problems. They had the habits of drinking alcohol. There have been several deaths in the families of these residents but when they approached an astrologer about this issue he pointed out that a 'Nagara Dosha' (the evil eye of a snake) is affecting the village," says Anthony, a resident of NR Pura.  

The residents of the village built a 'Nagara temple' but even that did not stop the recurring deaths in the village. The recent death of a youth sparked further fear among the residents who approached the astrologer again, who warned them of further bloodshed if they did not leave the village immediately.  

On Thursday, about 25 families in the village departed before noon in different directions.  

"I have been told that few families went to Koppal, few others went to Koteshwara in Udupi and other places in Chikkamagaluru district," says Jagannath.  He says that he is trying to contact the residents and speak to them about this issue directly.  

"There is no fear of lunar eclipse in play here and the residents have left because they believe a spirit is haunting the village. The astrologer should be told that this is a health issue," says Shakib, who lives in the area.