Captain Devi Sharan, the pilot who commanded the Indian Airlines flight IC-814 during its hijacking in December 1999, has a surprising story to tell. After enduring seven harrowing days in the hands of armed hijackers, Sharan, who later received the prestigious Safe Skies Award for his bravery, reported experiencing ghostly encounters at a hotel in Sharjah, UAE. This revelation comes from a new book, ‘The Maz Files: Scoops, Scams And Showdowns,’ by Dubai-based investigative journalist Mazhar Farooqui.
The book recounts how Sharan, along with a colleague, stayed at the Holiday Inn on Sharjah’s King Faisal Road, a hotel known for its haunting reputation among Indian pilots. Farooqui managed to obtain a copy of a letter Sharan wrote to the hotel detailing these unsettling experiences. The letter, confirmed by the hotel’s UAE country manager, Anand Kumar Pande, describes paranormal activity and complaints about the hotel’s food and service.
The story of the hijacked IC-814 is currently in the news due to the release of the Netflix series ‘IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack.’ The series, directed by Anubhav Sinha and based on Sharan’s own book ‘Flight into Fear: A Captain’s Story,’ has sparked controversy. Many viewers and members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have accused the series of shifting blame away from the Pakistani terrorists responsible for the hijacking. The controversy has led to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting summoning the Netflix Content Head for a hearing on September 3.
While the Netflix series has drawn attention to the hijacking, it is Sharan’s personal experience with the paranormal that adds another intriguing layer to the story of the IC-814 flight. His account of ghostly encounters at a Sharjah hotel reveals a side of the celebrated captain that few may have known about, adding a touch of mystery and intrigue to his already remarkable tale of bravery and resilience.
