Eerie video shows rescuers negotiating with a laughing jin who allegedly kidnapped missing hiker

 

THE SEARCH for missing hiker Nur Izzati Humaira began like many rescue operations do. 

The 19-year-old reportedly disappeared while descending the hill alone after a hike with friends and family, prompting a large-scale search involving firefighters, volunteers and non-governmental organisations. 

But somewhere between the thick trees and uneven slopes of Bukit Changkat Asa, the story took a darker turn.

A viral social media video has captured widespread attention after appearing to show a group of rescuers negotiating with a jin in hopes of locating the missing teenager.

In the video, a foreign voice could be heard laughing back at them, as though mocking their efforts.

The fascination surrounding the clip has added another layer to an already emotional case. Regardless, some netizens remarked that belief in such creatures is laughable in the modern era.

Take it from @mkharith_ who wondered why only the Malays are being kidnapped by the unseen while the white and black people who slept in the forest had no trouble with such beings.

But netizen @Bori_Romaldo pointed out that there are a good number of missing hikers in the United States too, where about 5% of them were never found.

Note that the search for Nur Izzati has now entered its third day. Bukit Changkat Asa, standing 734 feet above sea level, is not an especially long trail, but it is certainly not a place to be taken lightly.

Hiking trail records indicate an estimated round-trip duration of about 1 hour and 24 minutes for the 1.8 mile route, while several other records suggest the journey may take more than two to three hours depending on the route, weather, stamina and forest conditions.

Then there was @ElonRTM who said the stories of ghosts may be different in each country as jins and devils have this ability to shapeshift.

“If she is not lost, she must have run away because of love,” said @pencari_gaduh.

Perhaps the best comment came from @ScottRussty who believed the laughter was in fact the sound made from a bird.

Whether the sounds captured were merely jungle wildlife or something interpreted through the lens of fear and belief, the video has undeniably transformed the search into more than a rescue operation in the eyes of many online.

Because sometimes, it is not what people see that unsettles them most. It is what they think they heard. — Focus Malaysia