House spirits kidnapped teen?

JOHOR BARU: AN abandoned mansion in  Jalan Skudai,  here,  in Danga Bay  has become  the centre of attention,   following rumours that a   16-year-old youth  is being "hidden" there by "evil entities".
Shamans and bomoh have stationed themselves outside the Villa Nabila mansion, reciting prayers and offerings, hoping to persuade the "entities" to release the boy.
Some 300 people gathered outside the mansion yesterday, hoping that Mohamad Izzat Izzudin Hussin, who disappeared from his home in Kampung Majidee here on Saturday, would be found. Prior to his disappearance, he reportedly told friends that he was going to Villa Nabila.
The pre-war double-storey mansion with a sprawling compound had, over the years, gained ill repute, with rumours of murders and massacres having taken place on its grounds.
The rumours ranged from that of a young maiden named Nabila, who was murdered and sealed in the mansion's walls by her stepmother, to the murder of a family of five by their gardener, a black magic practitioner. As a result, the mansion attracts occult hunters and thrill seekers.
It is learnt that the mansion became abandoned because of a pending court case, involving a bank loan taken by its owner.
The disappearance of Izzat has captured the attention of locals, with rumours circulating on social media and via text message.
Izzat's mother, Norhayati Mohamad, lodged a missing persons report at 1.15am yesterday after her son did not return home after leaving at 3.30pm on Saturday.
Norhayati said she was told by Izzat's friends that they last saw him heading towards the mansion. However, attempts to contact his friends proved futile.
Norhayati, who described her son as obedient, had gone to the mansion with relatives to look for Izzat, without success.
Johor Baru (South) deputy police chief Superintendent Abdul Samad Salleh dismissed rumours that Izzat went missing on the mansion's grounds.
"Our officers, K-9 unit, Rela, and Fire and Rescue Department personnel combed the mansion and surrounding areas. There's no evidence that the boy made his way to the mansion.
"It's a rumour. Nobody has gone missing after entering the mansion."
Police are stationed at the mansion's entrance because of the influx of onlookers.
--Nst